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California  Fish  and  Game 
V.  6   1920 
Bound  volume 


M  1 


DATE  DUE 


California   Fish  and   Game 
S -I-         V.    6        1920 


Bound   volume 


California  Resources  Agency  Library 

1416  9th  Street,  Room  117 

Sacramento,  California   95814 


jjma.im  ■iWiillrt'nj—BiMMOU 


California  Fish  and  Game 

"CONSERVATION   OF   WILD    LIFE   THROUGH   EDUCATION" 


Volume  6  SACRAMENTO,  JANUARY,  1920  Number  1 


CONTENTS. 


Paok 

NOTES  ON  DRY  FLY  FISHING— No.  2 7?.  L.  M.,  California  1 

THE  Y01TN(i  OF  THE  BLACK  SEA-BASS Elmer  Hii/f/iiix  f) 

rriB  PACIFIC  EDIBLE  CRAB  AND  ITS  NEAR  RELATIVES 

F.    W.    Wci^mouth  7 

THE  PROPOSED  INVESTIGATION  OF  THE  SARDINE 

Will  F.  Thompson  10 

THE  LIFE  PIISTORY  OF  THE  SAGE  HEN E.  H.  Oher  12 

NOTES  ON  THE  LIFE  HISTORY  OF  THE  BLACK-TAILED  DEER 

: J.  D.   Goffman  15 

i:ditorials  17 

california's  game  sanctuaries 23 

facts  of  current  interest 28 

com:\iercial  fishery  notes 29 

notes  from  the  state  fisheries  laboratory 32 

conservation  in  other  states 35 

life  history  notes 3g 

reports- 
Seizures   39 

Fishery  Products,  July,  August,  September,  1919 40 

^'lOLATIONS    OF    FiSII    AND    GaME    LaWS 43 

Expenditures    '. 44 


NOTES  ON  DRY-FLY  FISHING.     No.  2. 

By  R.  L.  M.,  California. 

In  the  first  of  this  series  of  notes  on  dry-fly  fishing  I  believe  I  was, 
to  8  certain  extent,  successful  in  dispelling  the  cloud  of  fog  or  mystery 
that  surrounds  the  art  in  the  mind  of  the  average  man ;  but  before 
going  any  further  into  the  technique  of  the  dry-fly  school,  I  propose 
to  trace  the  history  of  this  modern  method  of  catching  fish,  which  is 
described  by  Emerson  Hough  as  being  "the  most  beautiful  form  of  the 
most  beautiful  sport."     (Extract  from  a  letter  to  the  author.) 

I  have  already  remarked  that,  if  a  new  fly  is  dropped  on  the  surface 
of  the  water,  it  will  float  as  long  as  it  keeps  dry.  It  is  quite  probable 
that  those  Macedonian  fishermen  mentioned  by  Aelian  in  "De  Anima- 
lium  Natura"  (A.  D.  230)  were  aware  of  this  fact.  Since  this  writer, 
the  first  who  describes  fly-fishing  and  a  method  of  dressing  flies,  was 
not  a  very  accurate  recorder,  we  may  take  it  that  practically  all  his 
observations  on  nature  were  made  second  hand,  consequently,  we  must 
not  put  too  much  reliance  on  his  description  of  the  flies  used.  Further- 
more, the  lengths  of  rods  and  lines  that  he  states  were  used,  were 
entirely  too  short  for  any  practical  purpose. 

Scotcher  ("Fly-Fisher's  Legacy,"  1807)  makes,  I  believe,  the  first 
inention  in  print  of  the  fact  that  a  new  fly  will  float-     This  fact,  which 


6zn 


I  CALIKDKNIA    V\>\\    AND    (;A.ME. 

can  hardly  be  calltHl  a  discovery,  is  known  to  every  one  wlio  has  ever 
rished  to  any  extent  with  a  wet  fly.  In  a  little  book  ("Anglers'  Uesid- 
eratuni,"  ISMJ))  the  author,  ('ai)t.  Clarke,  K.  N.,  describes  a  method  of 
eatoiiinf;  ti.sh  on  hot  sunsliiny  days,  which  has  all  the  earmarks  of  dry- 
ily  ti.siiinp  with  tlic  sin«rlc  exception  of  Moalin};  the  llv. 

The  late  Einlyn  M.  (iill  in  his  book  "Pnictical' Drv-Plv  Fisliinu" 
(New  Vork.  \\S\W\^  writes  of  Mr.  (i.  P.  R.  Puluiaii  haviufr"" explained 
dry-fly  methods  in  ISf)!."  This  explanation,  which  appears  on  page 
J:i2  ()f  I'ulman's  "X'adc  Mecum"  (185].  ;^d  ed. — tiie  two  earlier 
edition.s  made  no  imiitioii  of  the  dry-tiy)  is  not  of  very  j?reat  length, 
so  I  will  inchuh*  it  in  this  lirief  history: 

I.ct  :i  dry  fly  bo  siilistitntcd  for  the  wet  one,  the  line  switched  a  few  times 
tlin)ii;:h  the  air  to  tlirow  ofT  its  suporalnindant  moistnre,  a  judicious  cast  made 
just  alK)vo  the  rising  fish,  and  the  tly  allowed  to  float  towards  and  over  them,  and 
the  chniices  are  ten  to  oni'  tliat  it  will  he  seized  as  readily  as  a  living  insect. 

Altlioiigh  the  foregoing  leaves  very  little  undone  to  be  a  full  desiiip- 
lion  of  dr\'-fly  fishing,  1  do  not  think  that  in  the  light  of  latter-day 
"videnee  we  can  call  Mr.  Piilman  a  dry-fly  man  as  the  term  is  under- 
stood today.  What  he  really  did  do  was  to  emphasize  the  importance 
of  the  first  cast  with  a  new  (dry)  fly.  Ilis  son  in  a  recent  letter  told 
me:  "1  recollect  that  he  (my  father)  often  told  me  to  dry  the  fly  by 
flicking  it  about  before  taking  a  cast  over  a  rising  fish.  He  invariably 
lished  down  stream  with  two  wet  flies." 

If  we  leave  ^Mr.  Piilman's  description  on  one  side  as  being  doubtful, 
or  of  the  nature  of  the  Scotch  verdict  "not  proven,"  the  first  real 
•nention  in  print  of  dry-fly  fishing  is  found  in  "A  Book  on  Angling" 
(Francis  Francis,  1867).  Although  there  are  over  four  iuindred  and 
fifty  pages  in  this  angling  classic,  only  on  three  or  four  of  them  is 
liiere  any  slight  reference  to  this  new  art  of  fly  fishing.  At  the  time 
.Mr.  Francis  wrote  this  book  he  evidently  did  not  attach  anv  great 
importance  to  dry-fly  fishing.  David  Foster  ("The  Scientific  Angler," 
1882)  makes  occasional  references  to  dry-fly  fishing  and  in  .some  of  the 
later  editions  there  is  a  colored  plate  of  dry  flies.  In  the  "Badminton 
Library"  (1885)  ]\Ir.  H.  S.  Hall  gives  a  "short  but  complete  treatise 
of  the  art,  together  with  the  dressings  for  eighteen  dry  flies.  Both 
llalford  and  Fo.ster  give  ]\Tr.  Hall  the  credit  for  the  invention  or  adap- 
tion of  the  eyed  hook  to  flies  of  sm;ill  size  such  as  are  used  for  drv-fly 
work. 

The  literature  relating  to  the  art  may  l)e  said  lo  liave  still  been  in 
an  embryotjc,  if  not  a  chaotic,  state,  w^hen  in  1886  Frederick  M.  Halford 
publishe(l  his  fii-st  work,  viz.,  "Floating  Flies  and  How  to  Dress  Them." 
Bedsides  fairly  extensive  contributions  to  periodicals  devoted  to  sport, 
he  found  time  in  the  following  yeai-s  to  produce:  " Dry-Fly  Fishing  in 
Theory  and  Practice";  "Dry-Fly  Entomology";  "Making  a  Fisherv"; 
"An  Angler's  Autobiography";  "Modern  Development  of  the  Dry- 
Fly";  and  Anally  in  \\)V?>  "The  Dry-Fly  Man's  Handbook."  This 
last  work  has  somewha.t  of  an  analogy  to  Rudyard  Kipling's  "Day's 
Work. "  Between  its  covers  is  epitomized  the  knowledge  and  experience 
of  a  lifetime  devoted  to  fishing. 

Of  late  years  it  has  become  the  favshion  among  a  certain  class  to 
question  and  even  to  ridicule  some  of  his  theories,  but  it  should  not 
be  forgotten  that  Mr.  Halford  never  put  a  line  on  paper  until  he  had 
.satisfactorily  demonstrated  its  correctness  bv  painstaking  attention  to 
detail  and  laborious  study.     If  I  may  be  allowed  to  use  a  distinctively 


CALIFORNIA   FISH   AND    GAME.  6 

American  colloquialism :  ' '  Half ord  put  the  dry-fly  on  the  map ' ' ;  that 
sums  the  matter  up  in  a  single  sentence. 

Among  the  other  books  devoted  to  the  art  I  might  mention  "Fly 
Fishing,"  1899,  by  Viscount  Grey  of  Fallodon,  or  as  he  was  known 
then,  Sir  Edward  Grey. 

On  this  side  of  the  Atlantic  besides  Mr.  Emlyn  M.  Gill's  book  already 
mentioned,  the  following  have  appeared :  ' '  The  Dry-Fly  and  Fast 
Water,"  by  George  M.  L.  La  Branche  (N.  Y.,  1914 j';  "Fishing  with 
Floating  Flies,"  by  S.  G.  Camp  (N.  Y.,  1916)  ;  and  possibly  one  or  two 
others. 

The  use  of  the  dry-fly  in  America  is  of  quite  recent  occurrence.  The 
fact  of  the  matter  is  that,  until  lately,  our  rivers  and  streams  were 
swarming  with  fish  that  seemed  only  too  anxious  to  rise  to  any  artificial 
fiy  that  was  presented  to  them ;  but  increasing  population  and  better 
jnethods  of  transportation  have  brought  many  more  men  to  the  water- 
side in  quest  of  sport  than  was  formerly  the  case.  The  trout  have 
become  more  wary  and  greater  finesse  has  to  be  employed  in  their 
capture ;  consequently  the  drj^-fly  has  been  utilized  as  a  means  of  over- 
coming their  increased  shyness.  It  is  only  to  be  expected  that  in 
England,  with  its  denser  population,  these  same  conditions  arose  earlier 
than  they  did  over  here. 

There  are  two  rivers  in  the  south  of  that  country  which  are  pre- 
eminently dry-fly  streams.  I  refer  to  the  Test  and  the  Itchen.  Some- 
time during  the  forties  or  fifties  of  the  last  century  the  dry-fly  was 
first  used  on  these  waters.  (See  "Chalk  Stream  and  Moorland," 
Russell,  London,  1911). 

To  no  single  individual  can  be  given  the  credit  for  the  discovery, 
invention  or  development  of  the  art  of  dry-fly  fishing.  I  believe  that 
what  actually  did  happen  is  that  difl'erent  men  hit  on  much  the  same 
thing  about  the  same  time.  Their  knowledge,  which  in  the  beginning 
was  purely  local  and  personal,  became  in  the  course  of  time  more 
general,  so  that  by  the  time  the  late  sixties  arrived,  the  art  can  be 
considered  to  have  been  fairly  well  established  on  these  two  rivers  and 
on  other  streams  of  a  similar  character  that  are  found  in  the  south  of 
England. 

But  although  dry-fly  fishing  was  quite  common,  so  much  so  as  to 
be  considered  the  sole  means  of  catching  trout  by  some ;  in  fact, 
Mr.  Halford  states  that  the  dry-fly  was  used  exclusively  on  the  Wandle 
for  the  last  half  century,  i.e.,  since  1863.  (See  "The  Dry-Fly  man's 
Hand  Book,"  p.  66).  it  was  not  the  univei-sal  method  that  it  is  today 
on  these  typical  dry-fly  waters. 

"The  Chronicles  of  the  Houghton  Fishing  Club"  were  printed  in 
1908.  This  club  has  been  in  existence  since  1822  and  during  most  of 
that  time  leased  or  owned  riparian  rights  on  the  Test.  From  the 
historical  point  of  view  there  is  not  a  great  deal  of  information  to  be 
derived  from  a  perusal  of  the  Chronicles,  which  deal  chiefly  with  fish 
caught  and  other  matters ;  but  we  can  glean  some  information  both 
useful  and  interesting. 

In  the  early  days  when  the  May  fly  (Green  Drake)  was  up,  the  club 
members  used  to  catch  fish  by  "blowing."  This  consisted  of  using 
the  natural  fly  as  a  bait  together  with  a  long  light  bamboo  rod  and  a 
floss  silk  line.  The  wind  was  allowed  to  carry  out  (blow)  the  bait 
over  the  water,  and  by  proper  manipulation  of  the  rod  the  fly  was 


4  CAI-IFORNIA    FlSll    AND    GAME. 

dropped  ou  the  surface  just  above  a  feeding  trout.  (Information  con- 
tained in  a  letter  from  A.  X.  (lilbey,  lioiiorarv  secretary  of  the  club,  to 
the  author;  also  see  chapter  XXIII,  "Fisliinijr, "  Vol.  I,  "Countrj^  Life 
Library  of  Sport"  [London  1905].)  "Blowing"  was  still  practiced 
as  late  as  the  early  nineties.  The  first  mention  in  the  Club  Chronicles 
of  the  capture  of  a  trout  on  the  artificial  May  fly  is  on  June  6,  1888; 
hut  a  much  earlier  record  of  such  a  feat  on  the  same  part  of  this  river  is 
made  bv  Col.  Peter  Ilawker,  of  Longparisli  House,  in  his  Diarv,  viz, 
June  li,  1817. 

The  sixties  may  be  i-e^arded  as  the  ti-ansition  period.  During  thesf 
years  the  diy-fiy  was  bi-coming  more  common  and  the  wet-Hy  was  fast 
disappearing.  i\lr.  -L  Ernest  Pain,  who  has  lived  at  Chilbolton  on  the 
Test  since  the  early  seventies,  told  rae  that  an  old  fly  book  belonging 
to  an  uncle,  which  was  used  in  1860,  contained  nothing  but  wet  flies. 

In  the  seventies  tlie  dry-fly  was  almost  universal.  "Writing  about 
the  fishing  on  the  Itchen  from  1877  to  1880,  Lord  Grey  remarks: 
"These  Winchester  trcut  taught  us  the  necessity  of  using  fine  gut  and 
small  flies,  and  of  floating  the  fly  accurately  over  a  rising  fish."  Even 
so  the  wet  fly  had  not  ({uite  entirely  vanished  from  these  rivers.  As 
late  as  1890  a  relative  of  mine  who  had  owned  fishings  ou  the  Test 
since  1850,  told  me  that  he  never  used  the  dry-fly  and  that  he  considered 
it  a  modern  innovation  that  was  quite  unnecessary.  As  he  had  a  num- 
ber of  fine  specimen  fish  mounted  in  glass  cases,  his  contention  would 
seem  to  have  been  fairlj^  proved;  but  such  is  not  the  case  at  all.  My 
relative  did  all  his  fishing  on  his  own  private  water  where  the  trout 
Avere  not  harried  by  any  one  except  himself  and  an  occasional  friend. 
There  were  weeks,  nay  months,  when  these  fish  never  had  a  line  cast 
over  them  and  therefore  we  can  readily  believe  that  they  could  be  taken 
on  a  wet-fly.  The  dining  room  of  his  Ashing  cottage  projected  over 
the  river.  There  was  a  short  distance  on  both  sides  of  the  house  where 
fishing  was  never  permitted,  but  his  daughter  told  me  that  when  her 
"'ather  and  the  keepers  were  away  she  used  to  catch  these  trout,  with 
bread  for  bait,  from  the  window.  On  the  other  hand  at  Winchester 
where  Lord  Grey  fished,  there  were  always  a  number  of  other  men 
fishing  and  the  trout  became  highly  sophisticated.  Earlier  in  his 
book  Lord  Grey  speaks  of  the  absolute  lack  of  sport  he  experienced 
with  the  wet-fly  on  these  waters,  and  it  was  not  until  he  used  a  dry-fly 
that  he  had  any  success  at  all.  ("Fly-Fishing,"  p.  108.)  I  consider 
that  these  facts  amply  prove  the  contention  of  most  dry-fly  men,  viz : 
That  fish  can  be  and  are  caught  with  a  properly  presented  dry-fly, 
which  would  not  look  at,  much  less  take,  a  wet-fly. 

Before  the  end  of  the  last  century  certain  rivers  in  England  had 
become  dry-fly  waters,  i.e.,  the  use  of  anything  but  the  dry-fly  was 
prohil)ited,  and  it  was  regarded  as  a  heinous  offense  to  do  otherwise. 

The  history  of  the  art  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic  is  brief;  in  fact 
I  might  almost  say  that  it  is  in  the  making  today.  Dry-fly  fishing 
has  been  practiced  for  some  fcAV  years  on  the  Catskill  and  other  streams 
in  the  eastern  states  and  is  occasionally  met  with  on  our  western  rivers; 
but  the  necessity  for  it  has  not  arisen  except  in  a  few  localities  where 
fishermen  are  almost  as  numerous  as  the  fish.  I  learned  the  art  in  the 
eighties,  but  for  years  I  fished  almost  entirely  with  a  Avet-fly,  only 
occasionally  using  a  dry-fly  for  an  exceptionally  cautious  fish.  How- 
ever, of  late  years  I  have  found  the  fish  much  wiser  and  not  so  easy  to 


CALIFORNIA    FISH    AND   GAME. 


D 


catch.  The  automobile  is  mainly  responsible  for  this  condition. 
Fifteen  years  ago  I  used  to  very  rarely  meet  others  bent  on  fishing,  but 
nowadays  I  have  frequently  counted  as  many  as  ten  uilu  in  sight  at  once 
lined  out  along  the  stream.  Consequently  I  have  been,  for  some  years 
past,  using  nothing  but  the  dry-fly;  and  1  think  it  is  only  a  question  of 
time  when  the  dry-fly  will  be  nnich  more  generally  used  on  American 
trout  streams  than  it  is  at  present. 


THE  YOUNG  OF  THE  BLACK  SEA-BASS.* 

By  Elmer  Higgins. 

One  of  the  most  picturesque  fishes  of  Southern  California,  well 
known  and  appreciated  by  sportsmen  and  commercial  fishermen  alike, 
is  the  giant  black  sea-bass  or  California  jewfish,  Stereolepis  gigas 
Ayres.  It  is  a  common  sight  to  see  one  of  these  huge  fishes  hung  up 
by  the  jaw  before  fish  markets  and  on  pleasure  piers,  surrounded  by 
wondering  tourists.  But  although  over  a  million  pounds  are  landed 
yearly  in  the  markets,  the  fish  caught  all  range  in  size  from  about 
three  to  six  feet  in  length.  The  commercial  fishermen  never  admit 
having  seen  a  jewfish  less  than  one  and  a  half  or  two  feet  in  length, 
and  all  declare  them  to  be  dull  black  in  color  and  without  markings, 
as  are  the  larger  ones. 

Imagine  our  surprise  then,  when  we  discovered  that  certain  pretty 
little  bass-like  fishes  from  the  hauls  of  the  boat  "Albacore"  were  the 
young  of  the  jewfish !  These  resembled  the  huge,  ugly  adults  neither 
in  form,  color,  nor  markings,  as  may  be  seen  from  figure  1. 

Several  specimens  of  the  young  of  the  jewfish  have  been  taken  in 
the  otter  trawls  of  the  "Albacore"  in  shallow  water  on  the  Southern 


Fig.   1.     Young  jewfish.     Stereolepis  gigas.     Total  length  7*  inches.     Long  Beach, 

California,  September  13,  1919. 


♦California    State    Fisheries   Laboratory,    Contribution   No.    13, 


CALIFORNIA    FISII    AND    GAME. 


California  coast  at  different  dates :  December,  1918,  specimen  1^  inches 
long;  April,  1919,  specimens  4  to  4[  inches  long;  and  September,  1919, 
specimens  7^  to  9  inches  long.  The  depths  were  from  4  to  15  fathoniij. 
The  most  striking  change  in  the  development  of  the  jewfish  is  that 
of  color  and  markings.  The  younger  specimens  are  a  rich  brick-red 
in  color  and  marked  with  conspicuous  dark  brown  or  black  spots 
irregularly  scattered  over  the  back  and  sides.  There  are  also  white 
or  pale  yellow  splashes  here  and  there  on  the  body,  especially  on  the 
ihroat  and  ventral  side  of  the  tail.  The  vertical  fins  are  black  with 
conspicuous  transparent  edges,  the  ventrals  black,  and  the  pectorals 
pale  or  transparent.  As  the  fish  grows  older  the  body  color  darkens 
and  the  spots  become  indistinct  until  the  whole  color  is  a  uniform 
dark  brown  or  dull  black,  except  for  the  light  patches  on  the  throat 
and  ventral  surface  of  the  tail  wiiicli  often  persist  even  in  the  larger 
adults.  All  the  fins  become  black  except  the  ventrals,  which,  though 
tilack  in  the  young,-  are  lighter  than  the  pectorals  in  the  adult,  showing 
wliite  membrane  between  the  black  fin  rays. 

The  change  of  form  in  the  de- 
velopment of  the  fish  is  almost 
equally  as  marked.  Figure  2,  in 
which  all  the  stages  are  reduced  to 
one  size,  illustrates  graphically  the 
change  in  body  proportions  and 
size  of  fins,  from  the  smallest  speci- 
men to  the  largest.  It  seems  that 
the  dorsal  fin  is  practically  sub- 
merged by  the  growth  of  the  body, 
and  indeed  one  or  two  of  the  dorsal 
spines  are  often  entirely  covered  by 
the  flesh.  The  remarkable  change 
in  the  proportions  of  the  pectoral 
Mud  ventral  fins  is  also  evident. 
In  the  young  the  pectorals  are 
about  .23  of  the  body  length  and 
the  ventrals  are  .40,  while  in  the 
adult  the  pectorals  are  about  .15 
and  the  ventrals  .12. 

That  the  young  of  the  jewfish  or 
black  sea-bass  should  be  spotted  or 
brightly  marked  is  not  surprising 
when  we  remember  other  closely 
related  Serranoids  which  are  bril- 
liantly marked,  such  as  our  kelp 
bass,  the  striped  bass,  or  the 
groupers  of  Florida  and  the  West 
Indies,  and  it  is  indeed  strange  that 
Ihey  have  not  been  recognized  be- 
fore. But  the  bright  color  and  the 
different  form  of  the  body  combined 
with  the  apparent  inaccessibility, 
since  they  never  appear  in  the  mar- 
kets, have  protected  the  identity  of 
FIG.  2.  Changes  in  the  development  ^^^^^  giant 's  young  from  the  fisher- 
of  the  jewfish.     Size  of  specimens :       man  and  public  until  the  present 

a.    IJ   inches  long;    b.   4g   mches ;   c.    9  .■  '■  ^ 

inches;  d.  72  inches   (weight  305  lbs).         time. 


CALIFORNIA   FISH   AND    GAME. 


THE  PACIFIC  EDIBLE  CRAB  AND  ITS  NEAR  RELATIVES.* 

By  Frank  Walter  Weymouth,  Stanford  University,  California. 

The  edible  crab  of  the  Pacific  Coast  markets  is  familiar  to  most 
people  but  there  are  a  number  of  other  species  less  well  known  and 
somewhat  likely  to  be  confused  with  it.  It  is  the  purpose  of  this  note 
to  prevent  this  confusion.  Since  there  are  between  fifty  and  a  hundred 
distinct  species,  many  of  small  size,  on  the  coast,  it  is  a  mistake  to 
imagine  that  any  small  crab  is  the  young  of  the  edible  form.  Many 
are  so  widely  different  that  even  a  hasty  examination  will  show  the 
most  uncritical  that  they  are  not  market  crabs,  but  there  are  four 
closely  related  species  which  are  particularly  liable  to  confusion  and 
which  will  be  considered  in  more  detail. 

The  edible  crab,  Cancer  magister,  belongs  to  a  genus  which  includes 
in  the  Atlantic  two  of  the  edible  crabs  of  the  eastern  United  States  and 
Canada  and  the  edible  crab  of  Europe.     On  the  Pacific  coast  there  are 


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Fig.   3.     Edible   crab. 


Cancer  magister.     Egg-bearing  female,   one-half  natural   size. 
San   Francisco,   California. 


nine  species  of  Cancer,  but  most  of  these  are  so  small  or  so  rare  that 
they  need  not  be  considered.  Three  or  four  species  are  large  enough 
to  be  used  for  food  but  only  Ca^icer  magister  is  both  large  enough  and 
abundant  enough  to  be  of  commercial  importance  and  is   the   only 

♦California   State   Fisheries  Laboratory,    Contribution  No.    14. 
3-425 


8  CALIFORNIA    FISH    AND   GAME. 

species  recognized  by  the  protective  laws.  The  following  descriptions 
and  figures  should  serve  to  distinguish  these  larger  and  more  closely 
related  forms. 

CANCER   MAGISTER.      EDIBLE   CRAB. 

Size  large,  sometimes  reaching  nine  inches  in  breadth  across  the 
back  from  point  to  point.  The  general  color  of  the  living  animal  is 
not  reddish  and  there  is  no  red  on  the  lower  side ;  the  teeth  on  the  front 
and  side  of  the  shell  are  low  and  saw-like,  those  between  the  eyes  are 
not  all  of  the  same  size,  and  the  two  nearest  the  eyes  are  larger  and 
more  widely  separated  from  the  middle  three;  the  "hand"  of  the 
large  pincer  has  conspicuous  rows  of  spines;  the  "fingers"  are  not 
black-tipped;  and  the  last  joints  or  "claws"  of  the  walking  legs  are 
slightly  curved,  broad,  thin  and  fringed  with  hairs  forming  swimming 
paddles.  Seldom  found  between  tides  but  usually  in  from  one  to 
twelve  fathoms  on  sandy  bottoms. 


J 


Fig.  4.     Slender  crab.     Cancer  gracilis.     Male,  natural  size.     Monterey  Bay,  California. 
The  last  joint  of  the  last  walking  leg  on  the  right  is  missing. 

CANCER    GRACILIS. 

Size  small,  seldom  exceeding  three  inches.  General  color  of  the 
living  animal  and  teeth  on  margin  of  shell  much  as  in  G.  magister; 
the  "hand"  is  rather  less  spiny  and  the  "fingers"  are  also  not  black- 
tipped;  the  last  joints  of  the  walking  legs  are  long,  curved,  slender  and 
hairless,  thus  differing  from  all  the  other  species  here  described.  In 
California  not  found  between  tides  but  in  deeper  water,  usually  on 
sandy  bottom. 

CANCER  ANTENNARIUS.  ROCK  CRAB. 

Size  moderate,  seldom  exceeding  five  inches.  General  color  of  living 
animal  reddish,  lower  side  with  small  red  spots  not,  found  in  other 
species ;  teeth  on  front  and  sides  of  shell  heavy,  projecting  and  curved 
forward,  those  between  the  eyes  much  as  in  C.  magister;  the  "hand" 
is  large  and  entirely  smooth,  the  "fingers"  are  conspicuously  black- 


CALIFORNIA    PISH    AND   GAME. 


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Fig.  5.     Rock  crab.     Cancer  antennarius.     Male,   two-thirds  natural  size.     Monterey 

Bay,  California. 

tipped ;  the  last  joints  of  the  walking  legs  are  stout,  nearly  straight  and 
hairy.  Commonly  found  among  rocks  between  tides,  though  also  in 
deeper  water. 


Fig.   6.     Rock  crab.     Cancer  productus.     Male,  one-half  natural  size.     Monterey  Bay, 

California. 


10  CALIFORNIA    FISH    AND    GAME. 

CANCER    PRODUCTUS.      ROCK    CRAB. 

Size  moderate  to  large,  reaching  seven  inches.  General  color  in  lilV 
as  in  C.  antcunarius  though  tliere  are  no  small  red  spots  on  the  lower 
side;  teeth  on  front  and  sides  of  shell  similar  to  those  of  C.  antcnnarius, 
those  between  the  eyes  of  ahoiit  equal  size  and  projecting  forward  in 
front  of  the  eyes  thus  dilfcring  from  all  the  other  species  here  described  ; 
the  "hand"  is  roughened  but  without  distinct  spines;  the  "fingers" 
are  bhick-tii)ped ;  and  the  last  joints  of  the  walking  legs  are  straight 
and  hairy  i)ut  not  tiatteiied.  Found  usually  between  tides  among  tii(-' 
rocks  though  sometimes  in  deeper  water. 


THE  PROPOSED  INVESTIGATION  OF  THE  SARDINE.- 

ii.v  Will  F.  Tiiomi'son. 

The  marvelous  development  of  the  sardine  fishery  in  California 
warrants  close  attention  to  it  and  its  prospects  of  permanency.  The 
sardine  has  indeed  become  the  most  important  species  among  the  many 
utilized  in  our  great  fisheries.  In  11)14  few  were  canned,  but  eaeli 
year  has  seen  steady  increase  in  number  of  canneries  and  in  the  total 
'  packed.  It  is  well  nigh  impossible  tliat  this  giant  industry  which  has 
grown  up  over  night  should  continue  to  orow  at  the  rate  it  has  in  the 
past,  but  an  increase  is  surely  still  to  be  expected.  It  is  a  growth 
unparalleled  within  the  countries  bordering  the  Pacific,  and  its  effects 
are  consecpiently  well  worthy  of  attention.  This  attention  is  especially 
due  from  the  state,  which  has  legal  jui-isdiction  over  the  fisheries  and  is 
responsil)le  for  their  continuity.  But  such  observation,  it  should  be 
carefully  noted,  is  as  much  for  the  prevention  of  hasty  and  harmful 
legislation  as  for  conservation. 

Moreover,  many  of  the  unsolved  questions  of  fishery  science  and 
many  of  the  practical  questions  concerning  the  course  of  the  annual 
'runs"  of  fish  may  expect  at  least  partial  answers  from  an  energetic 
investigation  of  the  life  liistory,  as  has  been  i)reviously  pointed  out  by 
the  writer  in  P^'ish  Bulletin  No.  2  and  in  Califorxia  Fish  and  Game, 
Vol.  5,  No.  2.  The  trend  of  the  program  of  investigation,  ]u-actical  as 
it  is.  is  therefore  aimed  at  a  solution  of  "i)urely  scientific"  questions  as 
well  cus  more  "practical"  and  inunediate  ones. 

In  order  that  this  program  may  be  formally  on  record  and  that  it 
may  be  open  to  discussion  by  anyone,  it  is  hereby  published  in  the  fonn 
of  the  principal  questinns  whidi  it  seeks  to  an.swer.  Suggestions  and 
criticism  are  earnestly  desired  from  every  possible  source. 

The  law  requiring  this  work  is  as  follows: 

It  sliall  l)e  the  duty  of  the  fish  tuifl  same  commission  to  gatlicr  (hit a  of  the  com- 
mercial fisheries  and  to  i)rei>ar(>  the  data  so  as  to  show  the  real  ahundaiice  of  the 
most  imi)ortaut  commercial  fishes ;  to  make  such  iuvestigations  of  the  biolos.v  of 
the  various  species  of  fish  as  will  guide  in  the  collection  and  preparation  of  the 
statistical  information  necessary  to  determine  evidence  of  overfishins  ;  to  make  such 
investigations  as  will  bring  to  light  as  soon  as  possible  those  evidences  of  overfishing 
as  are  shown  by  changes  in  the  age  groups  of  any  variety  of  fish ;  to  determine  what 
measures  may  be  advisalile  to  conserve  any  fishery,  or  to  enlarge  and  assist  any 
fishery  where  that  may  be  done  without  danger  to  the  supply. 

♦California  State  Fisheries  Laboratory,  Contribution  No.  15. 


CALIFORNIA   FISH   AND   GAME.  11 

1.  Will  depletion  occur? 

To  answer  this  we  must  have  : 

A.  The  catches  by  each  boat,  their  character  and  the  artificial 
limits  affecting  them,  in  order  that  comparisons  may  be  made  of 
the  catches  of  the  various  years,  and  of  the  seasons. 

B.  The  type  of  each  boat  and  the  apparatus  used. 

C.  The  method  of  the  fishery,  and  the  effects  of  such  factors  as  the 
moonlight. 

D.  A  knowledge  of  any  decided  changes  in  method  or  location  of 
the  fishery. 

E.  An  answer  to  the  following  question,  No.  2. 

2.  Are  there  great  natural  fluctuations  in  abundance,  or  quality,  other 

than  those  of  depletion? 

An  answer  requires: 

A.  The  same  data  as  are  required  to  answer  No.  1. 

B.  The  compasition  of  the  catches  each  year  according  to  size  or 
age,  in  order  that  we  may  discover  whether  a  good  catch  is  due 
to  an  exceptional  spawning  season.  This  implies  a  knowledge 
of  the  effect  of  selective  fishing  on  the  catch. 

C.  The  variation  in  the  composition  of  the  catches  during  various 
parts  of  the  year,  so  that  we  may  be  sure  we  are  comparing  the 
years  correctly. 

D.  The  spawning  .'«eason,  and  its  relation  to  natural  changes  in 
quality  or  local  abundance. 

3.  Is  it  possible  to  foretell  fluctuations? 

This  can  not  be  done  unless  we  know : 

A.  What  changes  are  invariable  each  year,  such  as  the  spawning 
migration. 
B.  What  the  success  of  each  spawning  season  is.  as  evidenced  by 
the  abundance  of  the  yoimgest  fish.  It  may  ])e  necessary  to 
judge  of  this  by  comparing  the  abundance  of  the  youngest  in 
separate  classes,  such  as  medium  or  large  fish. 

C  What  the  age  and  rate  of  growth  is,  so  that  we  may  know  how 
long  it  take.s  for  the  fish  of  a  given  spawning  season  to  become 
fit  for  use. 

4.  Do  sardines  migrate  from  one  region  to  another? 

This  question  is  of  importance  because  of  the  possible  difference  in 
food  value  of  sardines  which  live  in  the  various  regions ;  because  -of  the 
possible  depletion  of  one  region  independently  of  another ;  or  because 
of  the  possible  dependence  of  the  supply  in  one  region  upon  the  sar- 
dines in  another. 

The  data  required  are : 

A.  Extensive  measurements  to  discover  any  physical  differences 
between  schools  from  different  regions.  For  example,  a  differ- 
ence in  size  of  the  head  would  indicate  that  the  schools  did  not 
mingle  but  were  independent. 


12  CALIFORNIA   FISH    AND   GAME. 

B.  The  early  life  history,  especially  that  of  the  eggs  and  their 
drift  with  the  currents. 

C.  The  location  of  the  various  age  classes  of  fish  at  the  different 
periods  of  the  3'ear,  so  that  seasonal  migrations  may  be  dis- 
cerned, and  the  simultaneous  character  of  fluctuations  in 
different  regions  may  be  discovered,  if  existent. 

D.  The  accessibility  of  the  schools  under  various  physical  condi- 
tions, to  explain  any  absence  which  might  erroneously  be 
assigned  to  migration. 

5.  If  depletion  should  occur,  what  measures  for  protection  should  be 
2,dopted? 

For  the  proper  solution  of  this  problem,  an  intimate  knowledge  of 
the  life-history  is  necessary,  but  tlie  following  will  constitute  the  most 
practicable  basis  for  action: 

A.  Are  the  sardines  in  different  regions  independent?  May  one 
region  be  depleted  and  another  not? 

B.  When  are  the  sardines  worth  least  as  food?  When  are  they 
most  valuable  to  the  species  as  spa^^'ners? 

C.  Upon  what  classes  of  fish  does  the  strain  of  the  fishery  fall  most 
heavily  ? 

In  answering  these  questions  it  is  obvious  that  extensive  data  must 
be  gathered.  We  are  undertaking  the  collection  of  careful  statistics 
regarding  the  boats  and  their  catches,  and  are  observing  the  sardines 
closely  throughout  their  season.  This  implies  the  obtaining  daily  of 
material  from  the  canneries  and  fishermen.  We  trust  that  this  privi- 
lege will  be  cheerfully  granted,  and  the  agents  of  the  Commission 
have  been  instructed  to  use  the  utmost  care  that  no  unnecessary 
inconvenience  is  put  upon  any  person  or  firm  in  the  pursuit  of  duties 
required  of  them  by  law. 


THE  LIFE  HISTORY  OF  THE  SAGE  HEN. 
By  E.  H.  Ober. 

The  sage  hen  is  the  largest  upland  game  bird  found  in  California. 
Consequently  it  is  not  easily  confused  with  any  other  bird.  As  a 
prominent  zoologist  has  said,  "It  is  not  particularly  necessary  to 
describe  the  sage  hen  any  more  than  the  elephant,  as  its  size  and  its 
extremely  long  and  pointed  tail  proclaim  its  identity  anywhere." 

The-  high  open  plateaus  from  six  thousand  to  twelve  thousand  feet 
in  elevation  constitute  its  home,  the  birds  seldom  frecpienting  country 
where  timber  grows  to  any  extent.  As  a  rule,  sage  hens  do  not 
migrate  from  their  accustomed  locality,  no  matter  what  the  weather 
conditions  may  be.  When  snow  covers  the  ground  they  resort  to  high 
brush  which  protrudes  through  the  snow,  where  it  is  possible  for  the 
birds  in  severe  blizzards  to  dig  or  scratch  down  to  the  ground  at  the 
base  of  a  bush.  At  such  times  when  the  snow  is  deep  and  frozen,  sage 
hens  fall  easy  prey  to  the  marauding  coyote,  lynx,  skunk,  and  various 
other  varmints  that  follow  their  scent  each  winter. 


CALIFORNIA  PISH   AND  GAME.  13 

During  clear  spells  throughout  the  winter  sage  hens  keep  on  the  go 
searching  for  food  that  has  been  blown  over  the  snow.  Strange  as  it 
may  seem,  at  such  times  birds  are  the  very  wildest  of  any  time  during 
the  year. 

Early  spring  usually  finds  the  birds  poor  in  flesh  and  shabby  in 
plumage.  The  females  select  the  sunny  slopes  and  hillsides,  near 
springs  or  small  running  streams,  for  nesting  grounds.  A  feeble 
attempt  at  building  a  nest  is  made  Ijy  scratching  out  a  shallow  hole  in 
the  ground  at  the  foot  of  a  sage  bush,  or  other  shrub.  Here  the  eggs 
are  laid,  the  usual  number  being  about  ten.  In  color,  they  are  greenish 
and  speckled  with  brown;  in  size  they  are  about  that  of  a  small 
domestic  lien's  egg.  Old  male  birds  never  frequent  the  locality  in 
which  their  mates  nest  and  only  return  when  the  young  birds  have 
reached  maturity.  The  percentage  of  their  brood  brought  forth  each 
year  by  the  nesting  hens  is  exceptionally  good  considering  the  immense 
disadvantage  the  birds  are  svibjected  to  during  their  nesting  period. 
By  this  I  mean  varmints  of  all  sorts,  early  spring  floods,  trampling  by 
sheep,  cattle,  and  horses,  and  last  but  not  least,  the  man  with  the  gun, 
who  formerly  was  always  to  be  found  following  the  snow  back  as  it 
receded  from  the  lower  hills.  Many  young  birds  fall  early  prey  to 
varmints,  as  the  parent  bird  has  feeble  means  of  protecting  herself  or 
her  young. 

While  the  sage  hen  is  nesting,  and  for  a  short  while  after  the  female 
comes  off  with  her  brood,  the  food  consists  mainly  of  the  tender  buds 
and  leaves  of  blue  brush,  and  wild  cherry  brush.  After  the  young 
birds  have  learned  to  fly,  they  descend  along  the  larger  streams,  also 
frequenting  meadowlands,  where  small,  tender  weeds  and  young 
grasses  are  added  to  their  diet.  At  such  places  the  young  birds  will 
gather  in  large  flocks  and  when  approached  by  man,  will  stand  and 
crane  their  necks  and  make  a  very  faint  attempt  at  cackling.  When 
closely  approached  they  usually  run  rather  than  fly. 

By  the  last  of  August  or  early  September  the  young  birds  are 
usually  joined  by  the  old  male  birds,  which  come  off  the  higher  slopes 
and  ridges.  These  old  male  birds  stay  very  high  up  all  summer  long, 
quenching  their  thirst  from  the  snow  banks. 

The  cock  sage  hen's  performances  in  early  spring  are  most  interesting. 
He  struts  very  much  like  a  turkey,  his  long  pointed  pheasant-shaped 
tail  spread  out  like  a  fan.  The  wings  trail  beside  him,  the  breast 
nearly  rubbing  the  ground.  In  some  instances  the  breast  does  rub 
the  ground,  and  the  feathers  are  worn  off.  During  the  courting  antics 
the  male  inflates  his  saffron-colored  air-sacs  on  both  sides  of  the  neck 
and  makes  a  guttural  sound,  stepping  much  as  does  our  turkey  gobbler. 
All  of  this  performance  is  apparently  directed  to  attract  the  attention 
of  the  females,  which  gather  together  old  and  young,  big  and  little. 

The  sage  hen  is  by  nature  terrestrial ;  flying  at  best  is  a  laborious  per- 
formance and  only  resorted  to  as  a  last  expedient.  With  much  effort 
a  bird  lifts  itself,  but  when  once  in  the  air  it  flies  rapidly,  and  I  have 
seen  them  sail  for  two  miles  or  more  before  alighting.  Sage  hens 
are  not  suspicious  birds.  They  generally  walk  or  run  away  from  an 
intruder,  sometimes  hiding  among  the  sage  bushes,  where,  owing  to 
their  protective  coloration,  it  is  quite  difficult  to  detect  them  without  a 
bird  dog. 


14  CALIFORNIA    FISH    AND    GAME. 

In  October,  sage  hens  congregate  in  large  flocks,  and  feed  almost 
entirely  on  sage  and  soon  lose  their  gamey  flavor  brought  witli  them 
from  their  higher  homes. 

The  principal  diet  of  the  sage  hen  throughout  the  year  consists 
mainly  and  almost  exclusively  of  sage  and  a  great  portion  of  bitter 
brusli,  along,  however,  witli  a  certain  amount  of  flower  Imds  and  bulbs. 
It  is  about  the  only  liii-d  known  tliat  can  eat  witli  i-elisli,  and  benefit, 
the  leaves  of  our  common  sage  brush,  and  subsist  upon  that  food 
indefinitely.  In  fact,  there  are  various  kinds  of  herbage  tliat  sage  hens 
are  known  to  piek  up  during  certain  seasons  of  the  year  aside  from  sage, 
but  such  only  in  very  small  quantities. 

The  sage  hen  is  one  of  our  grandest  game  birds,  a  bird  that  should 
be  carefully  guarded  to  prevent  extinction.  The  young  birds  are  often 
alert  and  rise  from  the  ground  at  some  little  distance  at  the  approach 
of  man  on  foot  or  horseback.  If  the  hunter  marks  them  carefully 
when  they  alight  he  has  no  trouble  in  walking  within  easy  shooting 
distance.  AVhen  flushed,  the  sage  hen  almost  always  flies  behind  the 
hunter  making  a  turn  in  the  air  just  after  leaving  the  ground,  thus 
nudiing  it  a  large  and  easy  target.  Like  most  of  our  ground  birds  it 
does  not  fly  from  cover  at  the  crack  of  a  gun. 

The  writer  recalls  about  twenty  years  ago  when  thousands  of  sage 
hens  made  their  homes  in  Long  Valley,  which  is  in  the  south  end  of 
Mono  County  and  just  northwest  of  Inyo  County's  north  boundary 
line.  At  that  time  it  was  considered  mere  play  for  the  cowboys  to 
dash  with  their  saddle  horses  into  a  large  flock  of  sage  hens,  one  thou- 
sand or  more,  and  strike  down  two  or  three  with  their  quirts  or  cow 
whips  before  the  birds  could  possibly  get  out  of  the  way.  Conditions 
now,  however,  have  changed.  Of  the  thousands  which  a  few  years 
ago  inhabited  our  plateaus,  now  only  a  few  scattered  hundreds  remain. 
Indeed,  the  situation  regarding  the  future  ^velfare  of  the  sage  hen 
throughout  California  was  most  alarming  until  the  stringent  laws  of 
recent  vears  became  effective. 


CALIFORNIA    PISH    AND    GAME.  1.5 

NOTES  ON  THE  LIFE  HISTORY  OF  THE  BLACK-TAILED  DEER. 

By  J.   D.   COFFMAN. 

Though  the  ])laek-tailed  deer,  Odocoileus  columbianus,  is  well  knowii 
and  widely  hunted,  yet  its  habits  and  life  histoiy  are  but  imperfectly 
known.  We  therefore  offer  the  following  notes,  which  have  been  com- 
piled in  connection  with  a  report  sent  the  California  Fish  and  Game 
Commission  by  the  Trinity  National  Forest,  as  a  contribution  to  the 
life  history  of  this  notable  game  mammal. 

With  the  heavy  snows  on  the  higher  ranges,  the  deer  descend  to  the 
lower  elevations  and  during  the  winter  feed  on  such  bunch  grass  and 
browse  as  is  available,  utilizing  moss,  mistletoe  and  branches  broken 
off  by  snow  w^here  the  more  palatable  forms  of  forage  are  unavailal)le. 
During  this  period  of  the  year  the  deer  travel  in  bands.  As  the  snows 
melt  away  they  follow^  the  snow  line  back  to  the  higher  ranges  and 
during  May  and  June  scatter  out  through  the  mountains.  During  the 
spring  they  feed  on  open  glades,  but  after  the  middle  of  June  most  of 
the  deer  ascend  to  the  higher  slopes,  feeding  on  tender  shoots  and 
grasses  during  the  early  summer,  and  almost  exclusively  on  browse, 
such  as  hazel,  oak  and  various  species  of  Ceanothus  (blue  brush,  buck 
brush,  wedge-leaf  (chaparral),  and  white-thorn),  from  early  August 
until  the  acorns  are  ripe  in  the  fall.  Then  mast  forms  a  large  proportion 
of  their  food  within  the  oak  country.  In  the  fall,  after  the  rains  have 
come,  deer  will  also  dig  for  roots  and  ground  shoots,  and  feed  exten- 
sively on  the  edible  fruiting  bodies  of  certain  species  of  fungi  that 
develop  abundantly  in  the  timber  at  that  season.  During  the  summer 
season  deer  use  natural  mineral  springs  and  salt  licks  extensively. 

It  is  noted  after  extremely  cold  and  snowy  winters  that  a  few  deer 
appear  to  die  from  the  effects  of  the  storms,  deer  so  d.ying  being  found 
late  in  the  wdnter  or  in  the  early  spring  after  they  have  commenced 
feeding  on  the  open  grass  lands.  For  this  region  (the  Trinity  National 
Forest)  the  rutting  season  begins  early  in  November  and  ends  about 
the  middle  of  December,  depending  a  great  real  upon  the  altitude  where 
the  deer  happen  to  be  feeding,  the  mating  beginning  several  w^eeks 
earlier  in  the  lower  elevations  than  at  the  higher  altitudes.  On  the 
lower  lands  within  the  watershed  of  the  north  fork  of  the  Eel  River, 
in  the  southwestern  portion  of  the  Forest,  the  rutting  season  begins 
about  one  month  earlier  than  the  general  season  stated  above. 

It  is  a  common  l)elief  among  the  old  residents  that  the  first  heavy 
storm  during  November  has  considerable  influence  upon  the  rutting 
season.  This  may,  however,  simply  be  due  to  the  fact  that  these  storms 
appear  usually  about  the  time  the  deer  start  to  run,  and  the  impression 
may  also  be  due  to  some  extent  to  the  fact  that  the  tracks  are  so  much 
l)]ainer  in  the  snow  that  it  creates  the  impression  the  deer  have  been 
running  more,  and  it  is  probably  true  that  the  deer  would  move  around 
more  after  the  advent  of  snow  even  aside  from  the  rutting  season. 

During  the  running  season  the  bucks  frequently  fight  each  other, 
and  many  of  the  old  ones  have  torn  ears  from  their  horned  encounters 
with  their  rivals.     The  bucks  at  this  time  become  thin,  as  a  rule,  and 

4—425 


16'  CALIFORNIA   FISH    AND   GAME. 


the  meat  is  usuallj^  unfit  for  food  eveii  though  the  buck  may  appear  to 
be  in  good  condition. 

The  young  are  born  during  the  montlis  of  May,  June  and  July.  The 
does  first  breed,  therefore,  when  they  are  approximately  eighteen  months 
old.  In  their  first  breeding  season  they  bear  but  one  fawn  as  a  rule,  and 
very  often  but  one  during  the  second  season,  but  thereafter  bear  two 
fawns,  and  in  rare  instances  three.  Until  such  time  as  the  fa\\Tis  are 
able  to  follow  the  does,  they  are  hidden  away  in  a  brush  patch  or 
sheltered  nook,  while  the  mother  feeds  near  by,  returning  to  them  at 
intervals  during  the  day.  After  the  fawns  are  able  to  travel,  their 
beds  or  hiding  places  are  changed  frequently  until  such  time  as  the 
fawns  are  able  to  follow  throughout  the  day.  During  the  first  six 
weeks  the  fawns  are  said  to  have  no  scent,  the  scent  glands  probably 
not  having  developed  as  yet.  This  undoubtedly  protects  them  mate- 
rially from  their  predatory  enemies.  Even  wath  this  protection, 
probably  not  as  many  as  fifty  per  cent  of  the  fawns  reach  maturity. 
Most  of  the  fawns  have  lost  their  spots  by  September  and  are  weaned 
during  the  fall.  The  fawns  usually  remain  with  their  mother  until  they 
are  yearlings  or  until  the  next  fawns  are  born,  and  frequently  stay  with 
her  even  for  several  months  longer. 

The  bucks  shed  their  antlers  during  January  and  February.  During 
March  they  have  only  a  skin  covering  over  the  old  scar,  and  the  new 
antlers  begin  to  grow  in  April.  During  the  months  of  June,  July  and 
August  the  antlers  are  in  the  velvet  and  are  tender,  so  that  the  bucks 
remain  in  the  open  timber  or  around  rocky  places,  and  do  not  frequent 
brush  areas.  During  the  latter  part  of  August  and  the  firet  half  of 
September  they  rub  the  velvet  from  their  horns.  About  November  1 
the  bucks'  necks  begin  to  swell,  and  they  do  considerable  traveling 
around  just  previous  to  the  rutting  season. 

The  summer  coat  of  all  the  deer  is  of  a  reddish  color,  and  the  ^^^nter 
coat  is  of  a  bluish-grey  color  and  is  heavier  than  the  summer  coat,  the 
hair  being  longer.  The  winter  coat  is  shed  during  May,  and  the 
summer  red  is  worn  until  September,  when  the  winter  coat  begins  to 
come  in  again.  Occasionally  a  white  or  albino  deer  is  seen  or  killed, 
and  also  black  deer,  both  being  rare  varieties  of  the  common  local 
species. 

During  the  latter  part  of  August  and  the  month  of  September  most 
of  the  deer  range  at  high  elevations  and  lie  in  heavy  brush  thickets  as 
a  protection  against  flies,  and  perhaps  to  escape  hunters  and  their 
other  enemies  as  well. 


CALIFORNIA   PISH   AND   GAME. 


17 


CALIFORNIA  FISH  AND  GAME 


A  publication  devoted  to  the  conserva- 
tion of  wild  life  and  published  quarterly 
by  the  California  State  Fish  and  Game 
Commission. 

Sent  free  to  citizens  of  the  State  of  Cali- 
fornia. Offered  in  exchange  for  ornitho- 
logical, mammalogical  and  similar  period- 
icals. 

The  articles  published  in  California  Fish 
AND  Game  are  not  copyrighted  and  may  be 
reproduced  In  other  periodicals,  provided 
due  credit  Is  given  the  California  Fish  and 
Game  Commission.  Editors  of  newspapers 
and  periodicals  are  invited  to  make  use  of 
pertinent  material. 

All  material  for  publication  should  be 
sent  to  H.  C.  Bryant,  Museum  of  Verte- 
brate Zoology,  Berkeley,  Cal. 

January   15,   1920. 


"Game  laws  are  not  enacted  for  the 
purpose  of  depriving  any  citizen  of  his 
riglits,  but  rather  to  prevent  such  depriva- 
tion by  assuring  a  supply." 

FIVE  YEARS  OLD. 

California  Fish  and  Game  is  now 
five-  years  old.  If  you  are  not  aware  that 
it  has  grown  in  size,  compare  the  first 
issue  with  the  recent  trout  number.  But 
physical  growth  is  not  everything.  We 
trust  that  there  has  been  a  growth  in  the 
so-called  "general  tone"  of  the  magazine 
as  well.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  each  issue 
acts  more  and  more  as  an  evangel  of  con- 
servation and  that  the  material  presented 
increasingly  convinces  the  reader  that 
California's  wild  life  resources  are  worth 
something  and  consequently  need  to  be 
conserved. 

California  Fish  and  Game  was 
started  as  a  means  of  moulding  public 
opinion,  for  it  was  believed  that :  "The 
effectiveness  of  game  protection  is  gov- 
erned by  the  interest  of  the  people  and  the 
spirit  of  those  who  hunt  and  fish."  To 
judge  of  its  effectiveness  in  this  regard  is 
perhaps  diflScult,  but  it  is  certain  that 
there  has  been  a  growth  of  public  opinion 
favoring  the  protection  of  wild  life 
resources,  and  we  believe  the  magasiine  has 
helped  in  this  development. 

You  will  find  in  the  volumes  completed 
noteworthy  facts  concerning  the  status  of 
fish  and  game  in  California  and  the  means 
being  taken  to  conserve  it.  The  magazine 
has  acted  primarily  in  an  educational  and 
publicity  capacity,  but  it  also  constitutes 
a  record  of  activities  and  accomplishments 
which  are  of  historical  value. 


In  looking  toward  future  numbers  what 
more  can  we  do  for  the  cause?  Our  maga- 
zine has  not  entered  the  field  of  the 
sporting  magazine.  Articles  seldom  ap- 
pear in  story  form  and  the  usual  hunter's 
experiences  recounted  in  characteristic 
fashion  are  omitted,  and  for  that  reason  it 
may  not  be  so  readable.  The  adherence 
to  scientific  fact,  however,  should  carry 
added  importauce  to  the  reading  matter, 
even  if  popular  and  light  reading  is  lack- 
ing. It  should  be  remembered  that  the 
function  of  our  magazine  is  quite  different 
from  that  of  a  typical  sporting  magazine. 

If  California  Fish  and  Game  is  not 
living  up  to  its  motto  "Conservation 
through  Education,"  let  us  immediately 
receive  a  set  of  protests  from  our  readers. 

WE    IVIUST    CAPITALIZE    OUR 
RESOURCES. 

More  aud  more  we  are  awakening  to 
the  fact  that  fish  and  game  propagation 
and  protection  is  a  I)usiness  proposition. 
One  of  the  most  convincing  arguments 
for  the  conservation  of  wild  life  resources 
is  to  be  found  in  the  attractiveness  of  fish 
and  game  to  sportsmen  outside  of  the 
state,  who  benefit  the  state  by  spending 
large  sums  of  money  in  obtaining  their 
sport.  It  is  up  to  us  to  capitalize  all  of 
our  resources — climate,  mountain  scenery, 
forests,  fish  and  game.  Wheu  capitalized 
it  does  pay  dividends.  These  dividends, 
however,  continue  only  when  fish  and 
game  are  properly  conserved.  Had  a 
sufiicient  breeding  stock  of  that  most 
valuable  of  all  the  fur-bearers,  the  sea 
otter,  been  maintained  the  state  would 
now  be  obtaining  a  return  from  a  splen- 
did industry.  The  practical  extinction  of 
this  valuable  fur-bearing  animal  pre- 
cludes any  return.  With  a  little  foresight 
California  can  so  conserve  its  supply  of 
wild  life  that  it  will  form  a  permanent 
and  paying  attraction  to  the  pleasure 
seeker.  With  a  little  indifference  Cali- 
fornia can  become  bankrupt  so  far  as 
invested  capital  in  natural  resources  is 
concerned,  with  no  hope  of  solvency. 

EDUCATION     VERSUS     LAW 
ENFORCEIVIENTS. 

Since  the  beginning  of  the  educational 
campaign  in  this  state  to  establish  a  public 
sentiment  favorable  to  fish  and  game  con- 
servation, we  have  continually  pointed  out 


18 


CALIFORNIA    FISH    AND    GAME. 


tlic  .•KhautaKcs  of  tlic  (•(liioatiuual  lUL'ihud 
over  that  of  force.  The  necessity  of  a 
patrol  force  is  lary;ely  due  to  the  lack 
of  i)roper  puhlio  sentiiueul.  The  most 
fundamental  way  of  cuttinjc  down  the 
Muiul.er  of  violations  is  to  let  people  know 
something  about  the  wild  life  of  the  state 
and  its  needs. 

State  after  state  is  coming  to  a  realiza- 
tion of  just  these  facts.  New  York  is 
doing  some  splendid  educational  work, 
Michigan  has  been  devoting  a  great  deal 
of  energy  to  an  educational  program,  and 
now  we  note  that  Wisconsin  has  begun  an 
extensive  program  of  education  and  has 
been  emiiloying  sjieakers  to  deliver  lec- 
tures throughout  the  state.  The  results 
have  been  so  iiuicli  woith  while  that  an 
t'nlarg(>nient  of  the  program  is  i)lauued. 
According  to  the  Wisconsin  Commission 
"it  is  tiie  one  thing  that  will  save  the  wild 
life  of  the  state  and  the  work  must  be 
imshed  vigorously.  T'ntil  such  time  as 
the  jx'ople  become  educated  to  the  import- 
ance of  a  united  ])iil)lic  sentiment  for  con- 
sM-vr.tion  we  nmsl  pursue  the  course  of 
warrants,  courts  and  fines  and  follow  the 
oil  method  of  educating  with  the  sledge 
himmer.  teach  through  force  instead  cf 
reason  and  the  more  rigid  the  laws  and 
th?  more  sev(>re  the  fines,  the  more  potent 
the  e.Tect." 

FUR   RESOURCES   ENDANGERED. 

That  it  is  high  time  each  state  turned 
its  attention  to  giving  judicious  protection 
to  fur-bearing  mammals  is  evidenced  by 
th  '  following  statements  given  in  a  recent 
Farmers'  Bulletin  (No.  lOTlt)  of  the 
I'nited  States  Department  of  Agriculture: 

"Recently  the  suppl.v  of  peltries  has 
been  decreasing  at  an  alarming  rate. 
Raw-fur  buyers  representing  all  parts  of 
the  country  place  the  decrease  at  from  25 
to  r>()  pcv  cent  during  the  last  ten  years. 
I'here  are  no  longer  any  virgin  trapping 
grounds.  Even  in  Alaska  the  two  most 
important  fur-bearing  animals,  the  beaver 
and  the  marten,  have  became  so  nearly 
exterminated  that  they  are  now  being 
lirotected  by  a  clos^e  period. 

"Ivjiws  i)rotecting  fur-bearing  animals 
are  designed  to  keep  a  steady  flow  of 
peltries  coming  to  market  year  after 
year,  thereby  bringing  trappers  a  reliable 
income  and  giving  regular  employment  to 
thousands  of  people  engaged  in  dressing 
skins,  manufacturing  garments,  and  dis- 
tributing them  through  the  various  ave- 
nues of  trade. 

"A  general  protest  comes  from  raw-fur 
buyers   against   traffic   in   unprime   skins. 


The  losses  caused  by  killing  fur  animals 
when  their  pelts  are  not  prime  are 
enormous.  An  educational  campaign  is 
greatly  needed  to  prevent  this  waste 
and  to  perpetuate  our  fur-producing 
resorrces."' 

NEW     GAME     FISH     IIVIPORTED. 

On  .November  24,  IDlit,  the  California 
Fish  and  (iame  Commission  received  a 
shipment  of  ayu  eggs  on  the  steamer 
Shin.vo  Marn  from  Japan  which  were 
sent  through  the  courtesy  of  Professor 
C.  Ishikawa,  College  of  Agriculture  at 
Komaha,  near  Tokyo  (Tokyo  Imperial 
University),  Japan. 

The  eggs  were  deiMisited  on  cocoannt 
fiber  and  placed  in  four  jars  holding 
about  a  gallon  to  a  gallon  and  a  half  of 
water  each.  There  were  also  three  tubs 
about  thirty  inches  in  diamett>r  which  con- 
tained approximately  three  to  four  pieces 
of  fiber  each.  The  a.vu  eggs  are  very 
small,  not  much  larger  than  the  eggs  of 
the  shad.  As  soon  as  the  consignment 
arrived  in  San  Francisco  the  eggs  were 
hurried  to  the  Brookdale  Hatchery  and 
were  placed  in  the  hatching  troughs  at 
that  i)lace,  where  the.v  are  at  the  pres-nl 
time.  I'tjou  arrival  the  eggs  were  appar- 
ently all  dead  but  since  this  Commission 
is  \ery  anxious  to  give  this  experiment  a 
thorough  test  every  precaution  was  taken 
in  the  handling  and  placing  of  the  eggs  in 
tlie  hatchery  troughs  in  case  any  life 
should  develop. 

The  Commission  feels  greatly  indebted 
to  Dr.  David  Starr  Jordan  of  Stanford 
University,  who  originally  corresponded 
with  the  Imperial  University  at  Komaha 
near  Tokyo,  and  it  was  through  his 
efforts  that  the  shipment  was  received. 
The  ayu  is  a  sporting  fish  belonging  to  the 
trout  family  and  it  will  make  an  excl- 
lent  fish  for  the  anglers.  It  reaches  a 
length  of  Si  inches ;  none  are  to  be  found 
in  this  country. — E.  D. 

CALIFORNIA  FURNISHES  STRIPED 
BASS  TO  HAWAIIAN  ISLANDS 
On  Saturday,  November  1-"),  l'.»l!t.  the 
California  Fish  and  (lame  Commission 
shipped  al)Out  Z'^OO  striped  bass  from  2^ 
to  5  inches  in  length  to  the  Fish  and 
Game  Commission  of  the  Territory  of 
Hawaii  to  be  planted  in  streams  in  the 
vicinity  of  Honolulu.  Captain  H.  E. 
Foster  of  the  patrol  launch  "Quinuat" 
li;id  charge  of  the  seining  crew  which  col- 


CALIFORNIA    FISH    AND    GAME. 


19 


lected  the  fish  on  the  Benicia  flats  by 
means  of  a  beach  seine  270  feet  long,  12 
feet  deep,  the  bag  of  which  wns  i  inch 
mesh  and  the  wings  li  inch  mesh.  It 
took  about  three  days  to  make  the  catch. 

The  fish  were  held  in  live  cars  until 
sufficient  were  collected  to  make  the  ship- 
ment and  then  were  put  aboard  the 
Matson  Navigation  Company's  steamer 
"Maui."  Here  the  fish  were  distributed 
in  six  large  salmon  tierces  that  had  been 
iirranged  on  the  main  upper  deck  in  front 
of  the  office  of  the  chief  engineer,  Alex- 
ander Ryan,  who  took  personal  charge  of 
the  fish  on  the  trip.  Each  tierce  had  salt 
water  circulation  by  means  of  a  small  pipe 
which  had  been  connected  up  with  a  pump 
in  the  engine  room. 

In  1S74  California  received  the  first 
shipment  of  150  small  striped  bass  from 
New  Jersey.  These  fish  were  distributed 
in  the  Sacramento  and  San  Joaquin 
rivers.  In  1SS2  a  second  shipment  of  400 
striped  bass  were  sent  to  this  state  by 
tlie  Ignited  States  Bureau  of  Fisheries. 
California  has  an  annual  catch  of  about 
],5U0,0tM)  pounds  of  striped  bass,  with  a 
commercial  value  of  about  $150,000. 
Since  so  fine  a  result  was  obtained  with 
a  small  number  of  fish  in  California  the 
large  plant  of  2500  fish  in  the  vicinity  of 
Honolulu  should  assure  the  rapid  estab- 
lishment of  this  siplendid  fi-sh  in  the 
Hawaiian    Islands. —  E.    D. 

STREAMS  NOW  STOCKED  WITH 
GOLDEN  TROUT. 

The  angler  who  visits  the  Southern 
Sierras  during  the  next  few  years  will  be 
elated  to  discover  the  streams  teeming 
with  Golden  Trout.  Heretofore  the  "most 
beautiful  trout  in  the  whole  world"  was 
limited  to  a  few  high  mountain  streams  in 
the  vicinity  of  Mount  Whitney,  and  the 
angler  was  forced  to  take  a  long  hard 
pack  trip  in  order  to  secure  this  trout. 
Now,  owing  to  the  operations  of  the  Cali- 
fornia Fish  and  Game  Commission  the 
golden  trout  is  to  be  found  in  mountain 
streams  from  the  southei-n  boundary  of 
the  Yosemite  National  Park  to  the  trib- 
utaries of  the  Kern  River. 

In  the  beginning  Golden  Trout  were 
caught  with  hook  and  line  and  then  trans- 
ported by  mule  pack  train  to  other  streams 
which  were  to  be  stocked.  Now  the  fish 
are  spawned  and  the  eggs  hatched  at  the 
Mount    Whitney   hatchery    and    then    dis- 


tribution is  made.  During  September  and 
October  of  this  year  large  plants  of  golden 
trout  have  been  made  in  the  headwaters 
of  the  Kings  River,  thus  extending  the 
distribution  of  tliis  fish  over  fifty  miles 
to  the  northward.  Former  plants  had 
already  extended  the  distribution  more 
than  one  hundred  miles  to  the  northward. 
Evei-y  effort  is  beuig  made  to  extend  the 
range  of  this  notable  trout,  care  being 
taken,  however,  to  keep  a  pure  strain  by 
planting  in  barren  waters.  As  results  of 
former  plantings  have  been  very  success- 
ful, it  is  expected  that  golden  trout  will 
be  available  to  everyone  within  a  few 
years,  and  that  the  lakes  and  streams  of 
the  southern  Sierras  will  be  the  Mecca  of 
anglers  the  world  over. 


IN  MEMORIAM. 

OSCAR  H.  REICHLING. 

It  is  with  deep  regret  tliat  we  record 
the  death  of  Oscar  H.  Reichling.  Cash- 
ier of  the  Fish  and  Game  Commission, 
which  occurred  on  Sunday,  Novem- 
ber 9.  1919. 

Mr.  Reichling  was  appointed  a  special 
deputy  on  October  24,  1903,  while  living 
at  Jackson,  Amador  County.  Impressed 
with  the  frequent  flagrant  violations 
of  the  laws  protecting  wild  life,  par- 
ticularly by  the  foreign  element, 
Reichling  saw  that  unless  the  laws 
were  enforced  that  it  would  be  only  a 
short  time  until  there  would  be  no 
game  or  fish.  As  a  citizen,  he  did 
what  he  could  to  stop  the  violations, 
but  found  that  he  was  handicapped  by 
not  having  authority  to  make  arrests. 
He  corresponded  with  Chas.  A.  Vogel- 
sang, who  was  then  Chief  Deputy,  and 
through  him  received  an  appointment. 
While  acting  as  a  special  deputy,  he 
made  an  excellent  record  and  when, 
with  the  advent  of  the  Hunting 
License  Law,  it  was  possible  to 
employ  more  regular  deputies,  because 
of  his  record,  he  was  given  a  per- 
manent appointment,  March  24,  1908, 
with    headquarters   in   San   Francisco. 

As  Mr.  Reichling  was  exceedingly 
painstaking  and  accurate  and  had 
early  training  as  a  bookkeeper,  it  was 
found  that  he  could  best  be  used  in 
this  capacity  and  he  was  detailed  to 
assist  the  late  Judge  E.  G.  Heacock, 
then  in  charge  of  the  license  and  book- 
keeping department.  Upon  the  death 
of  Judge  Heacock,  in  1909,  he  was 
again  promoted.  Later  he  was  given 
the  very  responsible  position  of 
cashier,  the  place  he  held  at  the  time 
of  his  death. 

Mr.  Reichling  is  survived  by  his 
wife  and  mother  and  also  by  three 
brothers  and  sisters.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  Excelsior  Parlor,  N.  S.  G.  W., 
and  Is  mourned  by  a  host  of  friends. 

—J.   S.    H. 


20 


CALIFORNIA    FISH    AND   GAME. 


SAVE     KLAMATH     LAKE 
RESERVATION. 


BIRD 


California  today  is  one  of  the  greatest 
out-of-doors  states  in  the  union.  Its 
mountains,  lakes,  forests,  rivers  and 
wealth  of  bird  life  attract  people  from 
every  state  in  the  country.  Every  man, 
woman  and  child  in  this  state  owes 
Theodore  Roosevelt  something  for  his  far- 
sightedness and  for  his  efforts  in  saving 
the  Avild  birds  of  the  state.  They  not 
only  owe  something  in  the  way  of  a  cash 
contribution   to   a   memorial   for   his   far- 


Klamath  Lake  reservation.  Here  was  a 
wide,  open,  shallow  alkaline  lake  ten  or 
twelve  miles  long.  For  miles  and  miles 
around  the  border  was  a  vast  tule  marsh, 
white  with  the  nesting  multitudes.  The 
beauty  of  Lower  Klamath  Lake  was  in 
its  life,  the  flying  birds  that  hovered  over 
the  wide,  treeless  area,  the  calling  flocks 
that  from  time  immemorial  have  held  this 
as  their  own.  Around  the  wide  border  of 
the  lake  a  wild  swamp  grass  grew,  nur- 
tured by  sub-irrigation,  and  a  great  num- 
ber of  cattle  were  raised  here. 


Fig.  7.  Lower  Klamath  Lake,  a  federal  bird  reservation,  from  the  west  shore  of 
the  lake.  An  abundant  tule  growth  on  the  east  side  of  the  lake  forms  an  especially 
fine  breeding  ground  for  waterfowl  and  the  islands  in  the  lake  are  used  as  breeding 
grounds  by  cormorants,  pelicans  and  great  blue  herons.  Photograph  by  H.  C.  Bryant, 
June  9,  1914.      (Neg.  1269,  Calif.  Mus.  Vert.  Zool.) 


sightedness,  but  they  owe  some  effort 
toward  saving  these  greatest  living  and 
useful  monuments  which  he  preferred  to 
any  other  kind. 

Although  Tjowcr  Klamath  Lake  is  a 
federal  wild  bird  reservation  by  special 
proclamation  and  wild  birds  are  carefully 
protected  by  both  state  and  federal  law, 
yet  the  vital  defect  in  the  whole  situation 
is  the  present  unfortunate  condition  which 
is  bringing  about  the  destruction  of  bird 
life  on  a  vast  scale  and  the  annihilation 
of  this  great  reservation  by  the  drying  up 
of  the  lake.  The  myriads  of  ducks,  geese, 
wading  birds  and  other  wild  fowl  are  at 
home  in  the  wonderful  marsh  land,  but 
they  can  not  exist  on  the  alkali  flats  of 
the  desert. 

Picture  to  yourself  the  condition  a  few 
years    ago    when    Roosevelt    created    the 


Then  came  the  land  operators  and 
wildcat  schemers  and  advocated  the  dry- 
ing up  of  the  lake  by  cutting  off  its  water 
supply  from  Klamath  River.  They  said 
instead  of  a  marshy  waste  we  could  have 
a  great  farming  area.  A  dyke  was  built 
and  a  change  has  gradually  taken  place. 
Instead  of  the  waters,  we  now  have  desert 
flats  crusted  with  alkali,  llie  meadows  of 
wild  grass  owned  by  stockmen  about  the 
lake  have  reverted  to  the  desert  because  of 
the  lack  of  water.  The  great  tule  marsh, 
as  dry  as  tinder,  and  the  peat  two  or 
three  feet  below  the  surface,  was  set  on 
fire  last  spring  and  is  now  a  gigantic 
waste,  flaming  in  some  places  and  slow 
burning  under  the  surface  in  others.  The 
migratory  flocks  that  have  fed  and  nested 
here  are  flying  about  without  homes  and 
resting  places. 


CALIFORNIA    FISH    AND   GAME. 


21 


A.  P.  Davis,  director  of  the  reclama- 
tion service,  has  written  Senator  Cham- 
berlain that  a  recent  investigation  of  the 
marsh  lands  around  Lower  Klamath  Lake 
has  failed  to  disclose  positive  evidence  of 
their  value  for  agricultural  purposes. 
According  to  his  own  words  "very  little 
conclusive  evidence  can  be  found  as  to 
the  agricultural  value  of  the  lands  around 
Lower  Klamath  Lake." 

Here  is  the  most  useless  piece  of  de- 
struction  of   one   of   our   greatest   out-of- 


rest  on  migrations?  It  is  of  the  utmost 
importance  that  public  waters  be  pre- 
served, if  we  are  to  maintain  duck  shoot- 
ing." 

So  says  the  American  Game  Protective 
Association  with  reference  to  the  drainage 
of  Big  Rice  Lake  in  Minnesota  under  the 
pretext  of  land  for  the  farmer. 

So  say  we  all  of  us  with  reference  to  the 
Klamath  Lake  Bird  Reservation  and 
other  wildcat  schemes  which  threaten  the 
extermination   of  our  wild   life   resources. 


Fig.   S.     Nests    of    pelicans    and    cormorants    on    Bird    Island,    Lower    Klamath    Lake. 
Photograph  by  H.  C.  Bryant,  June  8,  1914.     (Neg.  1276,  Calif.  Mus.  Vert.  Zool.). 


door  resources,  and  nothing  gained.  The 
whole  thing  can  be  remedied  if  the  recla- 
mation service  will  open  the  dykes  and 
let  the  water  back  into  Lower  Klamath 
Lake.  Every  citizen  of  the  state  should 
take  this  matter  up  with  the  reclamation 
service,  our  senators  and  representatives 
in  Washington,  or  with  the  Secretary  of 
Agriculture.  If  immediate  action  is  se- 
cured Klamath  Lake  Reservation  could  be 
restored  and  would  remain  as  a  great 
living  monument  to  Theodore  Roosevelt.^ 
W.  L.  FiNLEY,  >Sf^a*e  Biologist,  Portland, 
Oregon. 

THE   HUNTER'S  LAMENT. 

"Of  what  earthly  use  is  it  to  protect 
waterfowl  from  overshooting  and  then 
take  away  their  nesting  grounds,  their 
feeding  waters  and  the  places  where  they 


SOUTHERN 


CALIFORNIA 
FILMED. 


FISHERIES 


In  order  to  inform  the  people  of  the 
state  as  to  the  wonderful  fisheries  which 
have  been  developed  in  Southern  Califor- 
nia the  past  few  years,  the  Fish  and  Game 
Commission  has  recently  had  a  film  made 
depicting  the  outstanding  features  of  the 
tuna  fishery.  After  spending  many  days 
aboard  the  launch  "Albacore,"  of  the  Fish 
and  Game  Commission,  the  camera  man 
secured  a  very  fine  series  of  pictures  show- 
ing the  methods  of  capturing  the  fish. 
Visits  to  the  canneries  helped  to  complete 
the  film  for  here  the  whole  canning  pro- 
cess was  photographed.  In  the  film, 
therefore,  one  may  view  the  entire  process 
from  the  capture  of  the  fish  at  sea  to  the 
finished  canned  product.  Outstanding 
features  of  the  film  are  a  scene  at  Smug- 


22 


CALIFORNIA   FISH    AND   GAME. 


glers  Cove  showiug  the  fishing  fleet  at 
anchor,  secured  after  a  rough  and  dan- 
gerous landing,  and  scenes  showing  a 
barge  being  loaded  wilh  tuna. 

This  new  film  forms  a  pari  of  the  free 
film  service  furnished  by  the  Fish  and 
Game  Commission.  Many  splendid  films 
showing  wild  birds  and  mammals  in  their 
own  homes  are  available  through  the  Fish 
and  (iame  Conunission's  educational  and 
)>ublicity  di'pnrtinent. 

SEVEN    GRIZZLIES    FORMERLY 

EXISTED    IN    CALIFORNIA. 

Now  that  the  grizzly  bear  is  extinct  in 
California  careful  studies  are  being  made 
of  the  material  at  hand  to  find  out  how 
many  varieties  of  grizzly  bear  actually 
existed  in  this  state. 

Dr.  C.  Hart  Merriam  has  published  a 
review  of  grizzlies  and  big  brown  bears  of 
North  America  (U.  S.  Dept,  Agric,  North 
American  Fauna,  No.  41,  Feb.  9,  1918) 
in  which  it  is  pointed  out  that  seven  vari- 
eties of  grizzly  bear  were  formerly  found 
in  this  state.  The  California  coast  grizzly 
formerly  ranged  in  humid  coast  regions 
from  San  Franci.sco  P.ay  south  to  San 
Luis  Obispo.  The  Tejon  grizzly  was 
found  in  the  dry  chaparral  hills  of  inter- 
ior coast  ranges,  between  the  San  Joaquin 
Valley  and  Los  Angeles.  The  Sacramento 
Valley  grizzly  was  limited  to  the  Sacra- 
mento (and  perhaps  San  Joaquin)  Valley 
and  adjacent  foothills.  In  extreme  north- 
ern California,  along  the  Klamath  River, 
ranged  the  Klamath  grizzly,  while  further 


south  in  Mendciciuo  County  was  to  lie 
found  the  Mendocino  grizzly.  The  largest 
one  formerly  occurred  in  the  Santa  Ana, 
Cuyamaca  and  Santa  Rosa  mountain*^  ui 
southern  California.  Still  another  variety 
roamed  over  the  southern  Sierra  Nevada, 
this  one  being  called  the  Ilcnshaw  grizzl\ . 
The  Soutliei-u  ("alifornia  grizzly  was  llic 
largest  of  all  the  grizzlies,  even  larger 
than  the  great  buiralo-killing  grizzly  found 
on  the  Kenal  I'eninsula  in  Alaska.  It 
was  of  such  a  huge  size  that  the  weight  of 
a  male  is  estimatc<l  at  14(H»  pounds.  Tin- 
height  at  the  shoulder  from  flat  of  foot  of 
one  specimen  measured  4  feet.  The  ^ole  of 
the  largest  foot,  without  claws,  measu)"((l 
12  inches  in  length  and  S  in  breadth.  The 
length  of  an  old  female  taken  in  Trabuco 
Canyon  near  Santa  Ana  inensuri'd  (i  .'ci't 
o  inches. 

Material  collected  by  the  I'nited  States 
Bureau  of  Biological  Survey  made  pos- 
sible this  paper,  which  describes  eighty-six 
different  varieties  of  grizzly  and  brown 
bears,  a  large  number  of  which  are  newly 
described  varieties.  Skins  and  skulls  in 
the  California  Museum  of  Vertebrate 
Zoology  at  Berkeley  were  iTsed  in  llv^ 
studies  made  by  Dr.  Merriam. 

WHEN  ARE  GREENHEADS  MOST 
ABUNDANT? 

A  recent  article  by  Aldo  Leopold  in 
the  October  number  of  The  Condor, 
entitled  "Differential  Sex  ^ligratiou  of 
Mallards  in  New  Mexico,"  brings  up  the 
mooted    question    as    to    wh^^ther    female 


Fig.   9.      Canvashacks  on    Lake  Morritt,   Oakland,   the  first  game  rctu.i;e  established   in 
California.     Pliotogiaph  by  U.  C.   Bryant,  December  27,   1918. 


CALIFORNIA    FISH    AND    GAME. 


23 


■BStetiliiagSB 


i 


I 

I 

I 

I 
I 

I 
I 

i 


i 


I 

I 
I 

I 

i 


I 

I 

I 

I 

i 
I 

I 

I 


CALIFORNIA'S  GAME  SANCTUARIES 


California  is  assuring  a  perpetual  supply  of  game  by  setting  aside 
areas  where  no  hunting  is  allowed  and  where  game  is  allowed  to  breed 
unmolested.  The  state  is  responsible  for  the  creation  of  most  of  them, 
the  federal  government  for  others.  Certain  areas  known  as  game 
refuges  have  been  set  aside  by  legislative  enactment.  Others  known 
as  state  game  preserves  have  been  created  by  the  Fish  and  Game 
Commission  after  the  owner  of  the  property  has  ceded  all  hunting 
privileges  to  the  state  for  a  period  of  not  less  than  ten  years.  The 
federal  government  has  set  aside  five  bird  reservations  and  protects 
all  of  the  wild  life  within  the  national  parks  and  national  monuments. 
As  a  consequence  game  is  now  absolutely  protected  on  nearly  3,000,000 
acres  within  the  State  of  California,  an  area  roughly  equivalent  to 
three  per  cent  of  the  total  area  of  the  state. 

GAME    REFUGES. 


Name 


lA   

IB   

lO  

ID   

IE    

IF    

IG   

IH  

ir  

ij  

IK   

IL 

2A   . 

3A   

3B  

30  

3D 

4A   

4B   .. 

40  

4D 

4E   

Mount  Tamalpais 
Lalce  Merritt 


County 


Area, 
acres 


Siskiyou    

Modoc  

ilodoc  

Trinity ,-. 

Shasta   

Lassen   

Tehama  

Plumas 

El  Dorado  

Amador  

Fresno   

Tulare  and  Kern 

Mendocino  and  Take 

Santa  Cruz  

San  Benito  and  Monterey-.. 

Santa  Barbara  

Ventura  

Los  Angeles  -. 

Los  Angeles  

Orange  

Riverside    

San  Diego 

Marin 

Alameda  County  (Oakland). 


8,960 
■57,000 
47.560 
64,000 
69,000 
47,580 
34,400 
31,000 
64,000 
57,600 
33,400 
37,600 
37.000 

3,400 

13,760 

39,680 

125,440 


\  600,740 

76,160 
69,120 
51,840 
28,000 


Klamath  Lake  _- 
Clear  Lake 

East  Park  

Farallon  Islands 
Goat   Island  


Siskiyou   

Modoc    

Colusa   

Pacific  Ocean,  near  San  Francisco. 
San  Francisco  Bay 


*22,400 
*1,600 


141 


♦Approximate. 


NATIONAL    PARKS    AND    MONUMENTS. 


Parks— 

Yosemite   

Sequoia    .. 

General  Grant  . 

Monuments — 
Lassen  Volcanic 

Muir  Woods 

*Pinnacles 


Tuolumne  and  Mariposa 

Tulare    

Fresno  and  Tulare 

Shasta,  Lassen,  Plumas  and  Tehama 

Marin 

San  Benito  


'Included   in   State   Game   Refuge   No.   3B. 


Estab- 
lished 


1917 
1917 
1917 
1915 
1917 
1917 
1917 
1917 
1917 
1917 
1917 
1917 
1917 
1915 
1909 
1917 
1917 

1915 

1913 
1917 
1917 
1917 
1869 


STATE    GAME    PRESERVES. 

No. 
No. 
No. 

5 

6 

7  

Monterey  and  San  Benito 

Santa  Barbara  

Santa  Barbara  

8,570.57 
j  42,000 

1916 
1918 

FEDERAL    BIRD    RESERVATIONS. 

1908 
1911 
1909 
1909 
1916 


1890 
1890 
1890 

1916 
1908 
1908 


I 


I 
I 

I 
I 

i 
I 

I 


I 
I 

I 
I 

I 
I 

I 

I 
I 

i 

I 

i 

I 

I 

I 

I 
I 

I 
I 

I 


I 
J 


24 


CALIFORNIA    FISH   AND   GAME. 


ducks  migrate  southward  earlier  than  the 
males.  According  to  the  article  female 
mallards  are  most  abundant  in  the  Rio 
Grande  Valley  near  Albuquerque  during 
October.  By  November  the  preponderance 
of  females  is  diminished  and  by  December 
first  there  is  a  preponderance  of  males. 
The  proportion  of  males  axid  females  is 
about  equal  among  the  mallards  wintering 
in  the  region.  The  article  furthermore 
points  out  that  a  number  of  ducks  banded 
at  Great  Salt  Lake  in  Utah  have  been 
taken  in  New  Mexico. 

It  may  be  that  sportsmen  in  this  state 
can  gather  evidence  which  will  support 
or  refute  the  statements  made. 

CALIFORNIA'S   FIRST   GAME    REFUGE. 
Splendid    publicity    has    recently    been 
given  the  first  game  refuge  established  in 
California  through   the  publication  of  an 
article   entitled   "Wild   Ducks   as   Winter 
Guests  in  a   City  Park,'"  in  the  National 
Geographic   Magazine   for   October,   1919. 
The   article   is   by   Joseph   Dixon,   of   the 
University  of  California  Museum  of  Verte- 
brate Zoology,  who  made  a  careful  study 
of  the  bird  life  on  Lake  Merritt,  almost 
in  the  heart  of  the  city  of  Oakland,  and 
took    many    splendid    photographs    of    the 
birds.     Lake  Merritt  was  set  aside  as  a 
state  game  refuge  in  1869,  and  therefore 
has    the    distinction    of   being    the    oldest 
refuge   in   the  state.     That  the  refuge   is 
fulfilling  its  mission   is  evidenced  by   the 
great  flocks  of  waterfowl  which  frequent 
its  waters  and  the  surrounding  lawns  each 
winter.    Furthermore,  the  number  of  birds 
appearing  is  on  the  increase,  showing  that 
it   is  being  utilized   as   a  safety   zone   by 
more    and    more   birds   each   year.      This 
may  in  a  measure  be  due  to  the  systematic 
feeding  carried  on  by  the  city  of  Oakland. 
No  visit  to  Oakland  in  the  winter  is  com- 
plete   without    an    investigation    of    this 
bird  sanctuary  which  so  well   testifies  to 
the  worthwhileness  of  setting  aside  areas 
where  hunting  is  prohibited. 

PROTECT     THE     WOOD     DUCK. 

Fortunately  the  duck  most  nearly  exter- 
minated in  this  state  is  one  which  can  be 
readily  recognized  by  a  peculiar  rolling 
flight  quite  unlike  the  flight  of  any  other 
duck,  and  by  a  long,  square  tail  that  gives 
it  a  different  outline  and  appearance.     It 


possesses  iridescent  colors  and  the  male 
has  conspicuous  markings.  Furthermore, 
it  practically  never  flocks  with  other  ducks. 
There  is  no  excuse,  therefore,  for  killing 
this  duck,  which  is  protected  by  both  state 
and  federal  laws  looking  towards  its  ulti- 
mate retention  as  a  member  of  our  fauna. 

FISHES    IN    RELATION    TO    MOSQUITO 
CONTROL. 

The  United  States  Bureau  of  Fisheries 
in  a  recent  publication  (U.  S.  Bureau  of 
Fisheries,  Document  No.  874)  tells  of 
investigations  to  determine  the  effective- 
ness of  fishes  in  eradicating  mosquitoes. 
Experiments  were  made  with  various 
species  of  small  fish,  and  while  it  was 
found  that  some  varieties,  such  as  sun 
fish  and  gold  fish,  destroyed  the  mosquito 
when  confined  in  small  aquaria,  they  were 
of  little  value  in  large  bodies  of  water 
where  other  food  was  obtainable. 

However,  by  a  series  of  experiments  it 
has  been  found  that  the  Gamhusia  affinis 
(Baird  and  Girard),  or  top  miunow,  can 
l>e  made  of  practical  value  in  the  control 
of  the  mosquito  pest.  Investigations 
showed  that  this  fish  is  especially  suitable 
for  antimosquito  work  because  it  seeks  its 
food  at  the  surface,  where  the  mosquito 
and  its  larva;  are  found  ;  it  is  very  prolific, 
giving  birth  to  well-developed  young  and 
therefore  requiring  no  special  environment 
for  egg  culture;  and  it  thrives  in  areas 
especially  suitable  for  the  support  of  mos- 
quito larvae.  But  experiment  also  showed 
that  the  top  minnow  must  be  protected 
from  larger  fish,  bass  especially,  its  chief 
protection  being  the  presence  of  shallow 
water;  and  that  there  are  some  instances 
where  the  top  minnow  can  not  be  used 
against  the  mosquito  because  the  mos- 
quito sometimes  breeds  in  water  so  badly 
polluted  that  the  top  minnow  can  not  live 
therein,  as  in  a  particular  instance  of 
water  polluted  by  chemicals. 

The  results  of  the  experiments  indicate 
that  the  top  minnow,  when  planted  under 
proper  conditions,  completely  eliminates 
mosquitoes,  provided  the  waters  are  kept 
free  from  protective  vegetation,  such  as 
slightly  submerged  leaves  and  stems,  or 
growths  which  form  a  floating  mass;  and 
that  even  though  protective  vegetation 
exists,  the  top  minnow  greatly  reduces  the 
number  of  mosquitoes,  the  number  of  fish 


CALIFORNIA   FISH   AND   GAME, 


25 


required  for  eradication  depending  largely, 
of  course,  upon  the  condition  of  the  water 
with  respect  to  protective  vegetation. 

BIRD    PROTECTION    IN    ENGLAND. 

A  committee  of  the  Royal  Society  for 
the  ProtecLion  of  Birds  has  rf^cently  inves- 
tigated the  present  English  laws  and  has 
suggested  many  changes  looking  toward 
the  reconstruction  of  the  Wild  Bird  Pro- 
tection Acts.  It  is  pointed  out  that  there 
are  numerous  defects  and  obscurities  in 
phraseology  which  have  added  largely  to 
the  complications  which  have  arisen  in 
the  working  of  the  six  interdependent  acts. 
The  law  has  not  been  enforced  in  any 
general  or  habitual  manner  and  has  failed 
to  protect  the  rare  birds  of  the  country. 

The  report  gives  first  of  all  a  historical 
review  of  bird  protection  laws  in  Great 
Britain,  a  digest  of  the  present  laws  with 
the  offenses  and  penalties,  results  of  the 
present  law,  the  proposed  new  law,  and 
international  law.  Among  the  recommen- 
dations are  the  setting  up  of  two  schedules 
in  the  place  of  one,  the  general  closed 
season  to  be  from  March  1  to  September  1. 
Owners  and  occupiei's  are  to  have  power 
to  kill  or  take  birds  on  their  land  during 
the  closed  season,  with  the  exception  of 
the  birds  listed  in  the  schedules.  Listed 
among  the  game  birds  on  schedule  A  with 
an  open  season  each  year  are  such  birds 
as  the  skua,  black-throated  diver,  night 
jar,  peregrine  falcon,  wood  lark,  wood- 
pecker and  wryneck.  On  the  other  hand, 
among  the  birds  on  schedule  B  which  are 
given  total  protection  are  such  birds  as 
the  avocet,  Kentish  plover,  golden  eagle, 
osprey,  spoonbill  and  most  of  the  owls. 

The  committee  further  recommends  in- 
creased educational  work,  stating :  "In 
order  to  protect  birds  both  worker  and 
child  must  know  a  little  about  them. 
Information  regarding  their  character- 
istics and  habits  must  be  circulated.  Bird 
and  arbor  schemes  or  their  equivalent 
must  bring  light  and  air  into  the  whole 
elementary  school  system.  We  should  be 
glad  to  see  a  Bird  Day,  devoted  to  lectures, 
become  a  regular  feature  of  the  program 
of  every  school  in  this  country." 

THE    FISHING    INDUSTRY    IN 
CALIFORNIA. 

California  in  1915  ranked  second  among 
the  Pacific  Coast  states  in  the  number  of 


persons  engaged,  in  the  value  of  its  invest- 
ment, and  in  the  amount  and  value  of  its 
fishery  products.  There  were  4,282  per- 
sons engaged  in  the  shore  fisheries,  551  in 
the  vessel  fisheries,  35  in  vessels  trans- 
porting, and  3,584  persons  engaged  on 
shore  in  canneries,  etc.,  making  a  total  of 
8,452  persons  connected  with  the  fisheries, 
as  compared  with  5,530  in  1004,  The  in- 
crease can  be  traced  mainly  to  the  shore 
industries. 

The  total  investment  in  the  fisheries  of 
the  state  amounted  to  $5,824,203,  showing 
an  increase  of  nearly  55  per  cent  since 
1904.  The  items  making  up  this  total 
are  73  fishing  vessels  valued,  with  their 
outfit,  at  .$354,375  ;  20  transporting  vessels 
with  a  value,  including  their  outfit,  of 
$72,000;  1,429  gasoline  boats  valued  at 
$1,351,110;  1,169  other  boats  valued  at 
$104,816 ;  apparatus,  in  the  shore  and 
vessel  fisheries,  valued  at  $006.944 ;  shore 
and  accessory  property  with  a  value  of 
$2,731,390  and  working  cash  capital 
amounting  to  $448,809. 

The  products  of  the  fisheries  of  Cali- 
fornia in  1915  aggregated  93,338,703 
pounds,  with  a  value  to  the  fishermen  of 
.$2,506,702.  This  is  an  increase  of  about 
44  per  cent  in  quantity,  but  a  decrease  of 
about  three-fifths  of  1  per  cent  in  value 
as  compared  with  1904.  Among  the  items 
in  the  products  of  special  importance 
may  be  mentioned  7,303,933  pounds  of 
Chinook  salmon,  valued  at  $340,949 ;  21,- 
024,190  pounds  of  albacore,  or  tuna, 
valued  at  $316,103;  6,923,563  pounds  of 
flounders,  valued  at  $209,766;  375,774 
pounds  or  53,682  bushels,  of  eastern 
oysters,  valued  at  $165,573;  4,952,692 
pounds  of  salted  cod,  valued  at  $161,695 ; 
1,784,488  pounds  of  striped  bass,  valued 
at  $146,928;  4,344,254  pounds  of  rock- 
fishes,  valued  at  $146,216  ;  892,392  pounds 
of  spiny  lobsters,  valued  at  $130,119 ; 
1,414,155  pounds  of  crabs,  valued  at  $124,- 
870,  and  5,761,929  pounds  of  sole,  valued 
at  $108,252 — Bureau  of  Fisheries,  Docu- 
ment No.  875. 

A   CALIFORNIA   FOX    FARM. 

Messrs.  Lewis  and  Kierman,  of  Nevada, 
have  started  a  fox  farm  near  Pomin's,  on 
the  shores  of  Lake  Tahoe.  Six  of  the  best 
silver  black  foxes  obtainable  have  been 
purchased  from  Prince  Edward  Isle,  at  a 
cost  of  over  $9,000,    Four  large  fox  pens 


26' 


CAl.in^HN'IA    Fl:^TT    AXD    GAME. 


of  reiuforced  heavy  poultry  '.viie  have 
boon  built,  each  equipiied  with  a  stroup; 
jiouse  for  shelter  aud  wilh  runways  to 
the  frrouiid.  The  accompaiiyinji;  picture 
(  Fi.i.'.  KM  shows  the  favorite  male  fox,  a 
little  over  two  years  of  age.  which  pro- 
duced fourteen  pups  ou  his  second  breed- 
in;.'.     This   fox  cost  .«2,100  .uid   his   fur  is 


Fig.  le.  Silver  gray  fox.  A  \aUiable 
animal  imported  from  Prince  E  lwar;l 
Island  for  vise  at  a  newly  established  lur 
farm  at  I^ake  Tahoo.  Photograph  by  J. 
Sanders. 


exceptionall.\  ti)ie.  .Messrs.  T.owis  and 
Kierinan  expect  to  raise  furs  for  the  mar- 
ket, and  it  is  rumored  that  other  parties 
from  Nevada  intend  starting  a  fox  farm 
in  the  spring,  also  to  be  located  in  the 
Tahoe   region. — J.    II.    Sax»frs. 

HOW     MANY     SHOOTERS     IN     THE 
UNITED    STATES    TODAY? 

I'rior  to  the  war  it  was  estimated  thai 
we  had  at  least  five  million  .sportsmen  in 
the  T'nited  States.  Men  in  a  position  to 
know  claim  that  this  year  the  total  will 
be  increased  at  least  one  million  and 
possibly  more.  Many  of  the  boys  who 
before  their  experience  in  the  army  had 
never  fired  a  gun,  wiH  not  be  satisfied 
now  witliout  their  share  of  Ihe  sport. — 
/llinoix  Si)()>fsw<iii.  Nov.  13,  1019,  p.  3. 

OWNERSHIP   OF    WILD    LIFE. 

"Wild  life  is  llic  pj'operty  of  all  the 
people,"  says  the  C'on.iciiaiionist.  No 
one  attempts  to  deny  this,  aud  least  of  all 
the  game  violator.  From  his  point  of  view- 
it  is  not  only  the  properly  of  all  the 
jteople.  but    is  more  ]>arlirnlarly  the  jirop- 


erty  of  him  who  can  get  it.  The  more 
remote  the  locality  where  the  law  is  vio- 
lated, the  more  deeply  looted  is  the  idea 
that  the  game  is  there  to  be  taken,  regard- 
less of  law.  and  witliout  nnicli  feeling  of 
moral  olili(piit.\\  The  violator  has  a 
strange  feeling  that  some  sort  of  jiistilica- 
tiou  is  on  his  side,  though  the  law  may 
be  on  the  other.  The  point  of  view  is 
that  of  eari.x  culonial  tinu^s,  before  tlie 
state  had  reason  t(j  as.scrt  its  ownership-  — 
when,  indet'd,  game  was  the  properly  of 
any  one  who  could  shoot  straiglil  enou;;h. 
It  is  the  i)oint  of  view  of  an  extreme 
individualist. 

Game  is  si  ill  ilie  pi'opiMiy  of  everyone. 
Hut,  whereas  originally  the  peoi)le  placed 
no  restrictions  upon  the  use  of  that  prop- 
ert.y,  they  have  now  thrown  al)out  it  safe- 
guards that  are  vital  for  its  continued 
existence.  Every  citizen  has  a  vi'sted 
interest  in  every  iudividiuil  biid,  animal 
aud  fish,  and  is  defrauded,  if  the  game  is 
f-r  eu  in  an\-  way  cotitrary  to  the  estab- 
Ksl  ed  lilies.  The  i)oint  of  view  of  the 
man  who  res|)ects  the  law.  aud  iusi.sts 
ui)on  r  spect  for  it  in  others,  is  that  of 
collective  ownership.  Ilis  individual  right 
to  take  game  is  dei)endent  upon  consent 
to  do  so  from  others. 

The  feeling  of  collective  ownership  is 
still  only  partly  developed.  The  tendency 
to  wink  at  violations  still  decreases  as  the 
sense  of  common  ownership  of  wild  life 
is  strengthened. — The  i^pori.'niirirn  ]'<- 
ricir,  No\-.  1."),  1019. 

THE    WARDEN    OF    GAME, 

"The  game  protectoi's  are  the  people's 
aiipointed  representatives  in  protecting 
what  is  the  pc()|)le"s  own  property.  Their 
task  is  a  hard  one,  but  thej"^  are  doing  it 
well.  From  year  to  year,  the  force  is 
constantly  dev(do|)ing  in  cfliciency  and 
effectiveness.  an<l  its  memliers  are  respon- 
sible for  the  conservation  of  natural  re- 
sources of  untold  value.  They  perform 
work  of  Ihe  highest  public  importance 
and  their  efl'orts  are  deserving  of  the 
people's  unqualified  support  and  coimueu- 
dation." — The  Coiiscrvatioiiint,  May,  1010. 

MUSKRAT    FARM    ESTABLISHED 
IN   OHIO. 

The  price  of  furs  has  continued  to  rise 
until  the  lowly  muskrat.  which  our  fathers 
sold  for  1<>  cents  a  pell,  now  brings  about 


CALIFORNIA    FISH    AND    GAME. 


27 


."j! I. ."»(!.  II:  is  not  surpiisiug,  Ihorofore,  that 
an  (Mitei'prisins-  man  in  Port  Clinton,  Ohio, 
has  purt'liasod  lt!()  acres  of  marsh  land 
alon.i;  th(»  river  wliicli  lie  expects  to  tnrn 
into  a  musl<rat  fur  farm.  TIio  fact  that 
the  bodies  of  the  animals  will  liring  about 
25  cents  increases  the  possii)iIit.v  that  the 
project  will  be  a  success. 

CANADA    URGES    PROTECTION 
OF   GAME. 

One  of  our  two  specie.«  of  swans,  a 
curlew  and  a  crane,  are  in  the  gravest 
danger  of  extermination  now  and  other 
species  will  follow  unless  e\eryone  helps 
to  keep  our  promise  to  protect  these  migra- 
tory birds.  Man  has  exterminated  species 
of  birds ;  but  not  in  all  time  can  he 
replace  a  species.  A  species  evolved 
through  millions  of  .years,  with  its  mar- 
velous adaptations  to  meet  its  needs,  its 
wonderful  beauty  or  power  of  flight,  can 
be  exterminated  b.y  man  and  disappear 
from  this  earth  utterly  and  forever  or  it 
can  be  protected  and  live  on,  reproduce 
its  kind,  and  be  a  delight  and  a  source  of 
knowledge  to  man.  who  may  in  some  dis- 
tant, Avonderful  time  unravel  some  of  the 
mystery  of  its  origin  which  points  back  to 
the  dawn  of  life,  and  to  the  Creator  of  all. 
— Pcpt.  of  the  Interior,  Oftaica,   Canada. 

NEED    FOR    DOE    PROTECTION 
OBVIOUS. 

A  pitiful  sight  that  ought  to  carry  an 
eloquent  message  to  every  sportsman  who 
has  killed  or  who  may  be  tempted  to  kill 
a  doe.  was  met  with  by  two  hunters  on 
October  4,  1919,  in  Bear  River  Canyon, 
about  eight  miles  above  Colfax,  Placer 
('ounty.  The  sportsmen  came  upon  a  doe 
which  had  the  appearance  of  having  been 
dead  two,  or  perhaps  three  days,  judging 
from  the  condition  of  the  carcass  and  by 
the  hoof  tracks  of  the  animal  that  had 
been  made  previous  to  a  light  rain  that 
had  fallen  the  day  before.  The  deer  had 
evidently  traveled  some  distance,  after 
having  received  a  bullet  in  the  lower 
bowels,  before  she  fell. 

The  lingering  death,  due  to  poor  marks- 
manship, in  itself  appeals  to  one's  sym- 
pathy, aside  from  the  fact   that  the  law 


had  been  violated  ;  l)ut  that  is  the  smaller 
part  of  the  real  tragedy  of  that  lone 
mountain  \\ood.  The  doe  was  a  mother, 
and  surrounding  her  remains  were  the 
tiny   tracks  of  her  fawn.     The  doe's  bag 


" —  w.,. —p — - 

-f  r-r.y- 

■■*-'■    ■■'■    ^>        '■■    / 

■'-■                      %' 

.-'.:* 

■-.,:'>-■•■.  ..^ 

■\  ■    -  •  .  ■   ,;^.'             ■  ■  :;  ' 

.    .■,«■-!■•--•.-■   ,  "    r-fc-;. 

I'lG.  11.  A  reason  lor  the  protection  of 
does.  Doe,  mother  of  a  fawn,  killed  by 
law  violator.     Photograph  by  E.  M.  Muse. 

still  contained  milk,  and  the  udders  were 
pink,  as  though  the  fawn  had  nursed,  or 
attempted  to  do  so,  up  to  or  after  the 
mother  had  died. 

What  became  of  the  little  fawnV  Like 
many  others  that  have  been  oiijhaned 
under  similar  conditions,  it  perhaps  re- 
mained beside  its  unresponsive  mother 
until  it  fell  an  easy  prey  to  coyotes  ;  for, 
not  far  away  from  the  dead  doe,  on  the 
dry  sand  bar  at  the  edge  of  the  river, 
were  the  unmistakable  stubby-toed  dog- 
like tracks  of  a  large  coyote. 

It  is  to  be  hoped  that  such  instances 
as  this  will  i?erve  to  carry  a  story  home  to 
that  brand  of  imiiation  sportsmen  who 
shoot  without  care  or  conscience. — 
Edwakd  M.  Muse,  Sacramento,  Califor- 
nia. 


28  CALIFORNIA   PISH    AND   GAME. 

FACTS  OF  CURRENT  INTEREST. 

Several  San  Pedro  canneries  are  paying  $155  cash  per  ton  for 
albacore.  Five  years  ago  this  variety  of  fish  sold  at  $40  a  ton.  In 
1918  it  was  $60  to  $90  a  ton.  Now  the  fisherman  receives  $155  per  ton. 
Previous  to  1910  albacore  could  not  be  given  away  and  tons  upon  tons 
were  carried  to  sea  to  feed  the  sharks. 


Owing  to  the  federal  law  prohibiting  the  sale  of  waterfowl  and 
owing  to  the  aggressive  enforcement  of  the  federal  migratory  bird 
law,  very  few  illegal  shipments  of  ducks  have  entered  San  Francisco 
during  the  present  open  season. 


Striped  bass  fishermen  report  splendid  fishing  in  the  San  Francisco 
Bay  region,  but  the  take  by  commercial  fishermen  has  been  below 
normal. 


The  Red  River  Lumber  Company  recently  pleaded  guilty  to  a 
violation  of  the  water  pollution  laws  and  paid  a  fine  of  $200.  The 
company  has  taken  proper  means  to  prevent  further  sawdust  pollution. 


The  Fish  and  Game  Commission  has  ordered  a  new  patrol  boat  for 
use  in  patroling  San  Francisco  Bay  and  vicinity.  The  boat  will  be 
thirty-one-foot  over  all  with  seven-foot  beam  equipped  with  a  twelve- 
horsepower  engine,  and  will  be  seaworthy  in  every  respect. 


Signs  that  the  sardine  industry  is  growing  are  evident  in  the  recent 
canning  operations  of  F.  E.  Booth  and  Company,  at  Pittsburg.  Sar- 
dines caught  outside  the  heads  at  San  Francisco  are  being  canned  at 
the  Pittsburg  cannery.  Although  subject  to  some  delay  in  reaching 
the  cannery,  they  are  said  to  arrive  in  splendid  condition. 


The  establishment  of  a  fur  farm  at  Lake  Tahoe  and  the  proposed 
establishment  of  another  in  the  same  vicinity  forecasts  the  beginning 
of  the  fur  farming  industry  in  California. 


During  the  months  of  October  and  November,  1919.  Deputy  John 
Burke  and  Special  Deputy  Herbert  Leahy  made  57  arrests  in  San 
Mateo  County,  the  fines  totahng  in  all  $1,210;  38  of  these  arrests,  with 
fines  amounting  to  $810,  were  made  by  Deputy  John  Burke,  and  19 
arrests  with  fines  amounting  to  $400  by  Special  Deputy  Herbert  Leahy. 


CALIFORNIA   FISH   AND   GAME. 


29 


COMMERCIAL  FISHERY  NOTES. 

N.  B,  ScoFiELD,  Editor. 


MANY    FISHING    BOATS    DESTROYED. 

For  the  second  time  in  recent  years 
great  damage  has  been  done  to  the  fishing 
fleet  at  Monterey  because  of  the  lack  of 
proper  shelter  for  the  fishing  fleet.  On 
Thanlcsgiving  Day,  1919,  ninety-two  power 
boats  were  washed  ashore  at  Monterey. 
Nor  does  this  include  lighters,  nets  and 
other  gear,  and  damage  done  to  docks  and 
wharves.  The  estimated  loss  to  the  fish- 
ermen alone  will  run  close  to  $150,000. 
A  further  severe  loss  will  be  suffered  by 
the  canners,  as  sardines  are  plentiful  at 
this  time  and  there  will  be  but  a  few- 
boats  to  fish  for  them. 

In  England  and  other  European  coun- 
tries the  government  improves  small  har- 
bors purposely  for  the  use  of  fishing 
smacks.  It  is  apparent  that  our  own 
government  in  making  surveys  and  plans 
for  the  improvement  of  harbors  should 
take  into  consideration  the  need  for  refuges 
for   fishing   fleets.      A   breakwater   which 


would  give  proper  shelter  for  the  fishing 
fleet  at  Monterey  is  needed,  and  there  are 
many  small  bays  along  our  coast  which 
should  be  improved  and  made  into  harbors 
for  fishermen's  boats. 

FISHERMEN'S    UNION    AT 
FORT  BRAGG. 

During  the  spring  of  1919  the  Fisher- 
men's Union  at  Fort  Bragg  established 
and  operated  their  own  plant  for  mild 
curing  the  salmon  catch.  Steep  hillside 
property  on  the  Noyo  River  was  purchased 
and  a  60  by  80-foot  shed  erected.  It  was 
necessary  to  grade  about  800  feet  of 
roadway  on  the  steep  hillside  to  connect 
the  shed  with  the  highway.  The  con- 
struction and  grading  work  was  done  by 
the  fishermen,  most  of  the  labor  being 
donated.  By  agreement.  Small  &  Urie 
canned  the  small  salmon  for  the  Union, 
the  Union  packing  over  half  the  total 
catch  of  nearly  3,000,000  pounds,  so  that 


Fig.  12.     Monterey  fishing  fleet  piled  on  the  shore  after  a  severe  storm  on  the  day 
before  Thanlcsgiving,    1919.     Photograph  by  Heidrick. 


30 


CALIFORNIA    FiSIl    AND    (iAME. 


the  season  id  Fort  Praisrg  lias  bcon  uii- 
usiially  siK'ccssfiil  oompariHl  A^•ith  other 
ooast   points 

EnooiirasiHl  by  this  s<'ason's  success, 
the  Union  has  completed  plans  for  next 
3-ear  at  Fort  Bragg  which  include  an 
addition  to  the  Noyo  River  shed  to  accom- 
modate a  two-line  cannery,  ice  plant  and 
cold  storage  plant  and  the  building  of  a 
mild  curing  house  at  Shelter  Cove.  The 
proposed  cannery  will  not  only  handle 
the  small  salmon  but  also  pack  sardines, 
which  are  plentiful  in  the  Fort  Bragg 
and   Shelter   Co\e   region. 

NEWPORT     BAY     FISHERIES     BEING 
DEVELOPED. 

AVith  work  jjrogressing  on  the  l)reak- 
water  at  ISewport  Bay,  Newport  bids  fair 
to  become  one  of  the  important  fish  ship- 
ping iwints  in  Southern  California.  The 
residents  of  NewiMjrt  and  Balboa  are 
united  in  an  effort  to  develop  their  li.sh- 
eries  asset  to  I  he  utmost.  Already  a  fish 
packing  plant  is  under  construction  and 
a  substantial  bulkhead  has  been  built  for 
the  accommodation  of  boats  and  markets. 

X(>wp(>rt  is  one  of  the  principal  smelt 
.shipping  points  in  California,  a  nonnal 
day's  shipment  consisting  of  from  four 
to  twelve  tons  of  these  fish.  With  the 
improvement  work  now  under  way  the 
scope  of  the  fisheries  at  Newport  will  be 
enlarged  greatly.  Already  a  number  of 
fishing  boats  are  planning  on  making 
Newport  Bay  their  home  port. — C.  S.  B. 

FISHING    VILLAGE    COMPELLED 
TO    MOVE. 

The  Pacific  Electric  Railway  Company 
has  served  notices  on  the  fishermen  and 
other  residents  of  Port  Los  Angeles  order- 
ing them   to  vacate  their  premises  on  or 


Ix'foic  .January  ],  1020,  and  already  the 
removal  of  this  ])iclures(iue  fishing  village 
is  under  way.  The  above  company  has 
also  filed  a  petili<m  with  the  State  Rail- 
road Commission  asking  permission  to 
abandon  service  to  Port  Los  Angeles.  It 
is  claimed  the  wharf  is  in  a  rickety  con- 
dition and  that  traffic  does  not  justify  con- 
tinued sen-ice  to  this  point.  It  is  planned 
to  remove  the  wharf  at  once  if  jjerraissiou 
is  granted. 

The  village  at  Port  Los  Angeles  was 
established  mi  ]!>0."»  l)y  II.  Sano  and  Dick 
Tododic,  two  fishermen,  and  at  one  time 
contained  approximately  two  hundred  men, 
women  and  children  dependent  upon  the 
fishing  business.  As  high  as  ten  thousand 
pounds  of  fi.sh  has  been  unloaded  at  the 
whaif  in  one  day  by  fishing  boats  oper- 
ating off  I'ort  IjOS  Angeles ;  but  with  the 
development  of  the  fishing  industry  at 
San  Pedro  most  of  the  fishing  boats  left 
for  the  latter  i>ort.  As  a  result  the 
amount  of  fish  I'eceived  over  the  wiiarf 
ha.s  decreased  until  today  a  normal  day's 
shii)ment  from  I'ort  Los  Angeles  consists 
only  of  approximately  fifteen  hundred 
pounds.  'i'h(>re  are  still  about  sixty  Jap- 
anese and  Russian  fishermen  engaged  in 
fishing  at  Port  Los  Angeles  and  all  of 
them  are  iilanning  on  moving  to  other 
points  in  the  near  future. 

The  wharf  at  Port  Los  Angeles  was 
constructed  twenty-eight  .vears  ago  by  cer- 
tain interests  who  planned  on  making  this 
point  the  port  of  entry  to  Los  Angeles. 
When  built  it  was  over  five  thousand  feet 
long,  but  damage  by  storms  four  years 
ago  caused  the  removal  of  about  two 
thousand  feet  of  the  pier.  It  has  always 
been  one  of  the  popular  piers  for  anglei-s 
who  still  refer  to  it  as  "Long  Wharf." 
During  the  runs  of  mackerel,  corbina  and 


Fig.   13.      Wharf  and  picturesque  fishing  village  at   Port  Los  Angeles,  which   is  being 
moved  by  order  of  the  owners  of  the  land.      Photograph  by  C.  S.   Bauder. 


CALIFORNIA   FISH   AND   GAME. 


31 


pompauo,  approximately  four  luiudred  rod 
and  reel  sportsmen  could  be  counted  fish- 
ing from  the  wharf. — C.  S.  B. 

SEAPLANES    TO     LOCATE    FISH. 

It  has  generally  been  known  for  many 
years  that  many  sea  birds  are  dependent 
on  their  eyesight  to  locate  their  food  while 
flying  over  the  water.  So  what  is  more 
natural  than  for  seaplanes  to  locate  schools 
of  fish  in  the  same  manner?  Needless  to 
say  the  fish  canners  of  San  Diego,  who 
have  been  somewhat  alarmed  at  the  con- 
tinued absence  of  sardines  which  have 
been  appearing  in  large  numbei's  elsewhere 
on  the  Pacific  Coast,  rejoiced  at  the  sug- 
gestion of  this  idea. 

Definite  arrangements  have  now  been 
made  with  Lieutenant  Lincoln,  the  naval 
commandant  in  charge  of  operations  at 
the  Naval  Air  Station  at  San  Diego, 
whereby  regular  seaplane  flights  will  be 
undertaken  by  the  navy  aviators  to  look 
for  schools  of  fish.  The  first  flight  will 
take  place  on  December  15  and  they  will 
continue  to  patrol  each  day  any  certain 
portion  of  the  sea  that  is  desired  by  the 
canners. 

When  a  seaplane  sights  a  school  of  fish 
it  will  wire  back  to  Rockwell  Field  from 
where  the  information  will  be  telephoned 
to  the  Fish  and  Game  Commission  ottice 
at  San  Diego  for  distribution  to  the  sev- 
eral canneries.  A  submarine  chaser 
always  hovers  in  the  vicinity  of  a  flying 
l)Iane  so  as  to  be  near  in  case  of  an 
accident.  So  it  may  be  that  the  news  can 
be  sent  to  the  nearby  fishermen  the  quicker 
by  means  of  the  wireless  on  these  boats. 

While  these  fiights  may  not  be  of  so 
much  value  in  winter  because  of  the  rough- 
ness of  the  weather,  the.y  will  later  on 
prove  of  much  material  benefit  to  all  par- 
ties concerned  when  the  larger  fish  are 
running.  They  will  also  settle  the  fact 
of  whether  certain  schools  of  fish  are 
running  in  those  portions  of  the  ocean 
further  out  than  the  present  small  fishing 
boats  go,  as  the  seaplanes  have  a  four 
hundred  mile  radius  of  operation.  It  may 
thus  be  the  beginning  of  continued  pros- 
perity to  all  canners  and  fishermen  in 
this  section  as  well  as  of  aid  in  the  inves- 
tigation work  of  the  Fish  and  Game  Com- 
mission by  showing  routes,  locations,  and 
migrations  of  different  fishes. — L.  H.   II. 


AGAR-AGAR    TO    BE    MANUFACTURED 
IN    SOUTHERN    CALIFORNIA. 

After  two  years  of  diligent  research, 
Mr.  C.  Matsuoka  of  Los  Angeles  has 
effected  an  improved  process  for  convert- 
ing several  species  of  the  common  marine 
alga?  found  on  .the  Southern  California 
coast  into  agar-agar,  and  plans  are  under 
way  for  the  construction  of  a  thirty- 
thousand  dollar  plant  at  Tropico,  Califor- 
nia, where  this  product  will  be  manufac- 
tured on  a  commercial  scale.  When  com- 
pleted this  plant  will  have  a  capacity  of 
approximately  one  ton  of  dried  seaweed 
per  day,  and  its  operation  will  mark  the 
beginning  of  a  new  industry  in  the  United 
States.  Experiments  which  have  been 
carried  on  by  Mr.  Matsuoka  demonstrate 
that  agar-agar  of  a  much  superior  quality 
to  the  imported  article  can  be  produced 
from  our  native  seaweeds. 

There  are  approximately  fifteen  species 
of  marine  algae  found  on  the  California 
coast  which  may  be  used  in  the  manu- 
facture of  agar-agar.  Among  the  varie- 
ties found  in  sufficient  quantities  for  com- 
mercial uses  are:  Gelidium  corneum, 
Gdcilium  airtUagineum,  Graccllaria  con- 
fervoides,  Euchcma  spiiio,siiim,  and  various 
species  of  Tcnaa^  and  GUjartcncw. 

Practically  all  of  the  world's  supply  of 
agar-agar  is  produced  in  China,  Japan, 
Ceylon,  and  Malaysia.  During  the  year 
1019  there  were  two  hundred  and  forty 
tons  of  agar-agar  shipped  to  the  United 
States  from  Japan  wdiei-e  the  manufacture 
of  this  product  has  reached  the  propor- 
tions of  an  important  and  well  established 
industry.  In  the  latter  country  only  ten 
species  of  seaweeds  are  found  which  are 
used  in  its  manufacture. 

It  is  prepared  for  the  market  in  two 
ways.  One  method  consists  in  drying 
and  bleaching  the  thallus  of  the  algae  in 
the  sun.  The  other  method  consists  in 
making  a  jelly  of  the  seaweeds,  allowing 
the  water  to  freeze  out  and  cutting  the 
residue  into  thin  strips  and  drying  thor- 
oughly. The  American  Agar  Company 
intends  to  use  the  latter  method. 

Agar-agar  is  one  of  the  most  useful 
products  obtained  from  seaweeds.  It  is 
used  in  the  manufacture  of  vegetable  isin- 
glass, capsules,  candy,  paints,  and  culture 
media  for  bacteriological  research.   During 


32 


CALIFORNIA   FISH    AND   GAME. 


the  European  war  it  was  successfully  em- 
ployed in  the  treatment  of  war  wounds. 
It  is  supplied  to  the  drug  trade  commer- 
cially in  dry,  transparent  ciTstals  that 
are  reduced  to  a  coarse  powder  for  medic- 
inal use.  It  has  the  natural  property  of 
absox'bing  water  and  retaining  it ;  and  in 


medicine,  the  additional  property  of  re- 
sisting the  action  of  intestinal  bacteria 
and  of  the  digestive  enzymes.  It  is  pre- 
pared by  boiling  and  may  be  eaten  with 
milk  or  cream,  or  mixed  with  any  of  the 
ordinary  cereal  foods  with  the  addition  of 
salt  or  sugar.— C.   S.   Baudkr. 


NOTES  FROM  THE  STATE  FISHERIES  LABORATORY. 

By  Will  F.  Thompson  and  Elmek  Higgins. 


THE    INAUGURATION    OF    SCIENTIFIC! 
WORK  ON   THE  SARDINE.  I 

The  past  quarter  has  seen  the  inaugu- 
ration of  a  definite  program  of  investiga- 
tion of  the  sardine.  This  species  has  be- 
come the  most  important  to  our  commer- 
cial fisheries,  and  it  is  necessary  that  we 
learn  something  concerning  its  habits  and 
that  we  have  as  detailed  a  knowledge  as 
possible  of  the  course  of  the  fishery.  A 
resume  of  the  program  will  be  found  in 
another  part  of  this  magazine  (p.  10). 

In  order  that  desired  results  may  be 
obtained,  Mr.  O.  K.  Sette,  formerly  sta- 
tioned in  Long  Beach  as  collector,  has 
been  transferred  to  Monterey,  where  he 
will  observe  the  sardine  run  throughout 
its  season,  under  the  direction  of  Mr. 
Thompson. 

To  date  (November  28),  the  sardine 
run  in  Southern  California  has  not  really 
begun,  only  very  small  fish  being  in  evi- 
dence. The  shortage  in  cans  has,  how- 
ever, been  the  only  hampering  factor  at 
Monterey. 

SOME  RECENT  FISHERY  PUBLICA- 
TIONS. 
A  publication  of  the  United  States  Na- 
tional Museum  has  recently  appeared, 
describing  the  guano  birds  of  Peini.  As 
Dr.  R.  E.  Coker,  the  author,  states, 
"Peruvian  guano  is  indirectly  but  obvi- 
ously a  product  of  fish.  The  birds  in  this 
case  fulfill  a  function  comparable  to  that 
of  the  American  factories  that  convert 
fish  into  fertilizer."  He  also  says  "a 
quantity  of  more  than  10,000,000  tons  of 
high  grade  guano  is  reported  to  have  been 
extracted  from  the  Chincha  Islands  be- 
tween 1851  and  1872."  The  pictures 
accompanying  the  report  are  remarkable, 


♦California   State  Fisheries  Laboratory, 
Contribution    No.    16. 


showing  the  great  numbers  of  birds  on 
the  nesting  places.  The  paper  should  be 
of  great  interest  both  to  those  interested 
in  birds  and  those  interested  in  fish.** 

Dr.  R.  E.  Coker  has  also  another  re- 
cent publication  to  which  attention  may 
be  called,  namely  that  on  the  "Fresh- 
water Mussels  and  Mussel  Industries  of 
the  United  States."  These  mussels  are 
used  for  button-making  in  an  extensive 
industry.  The  bulletin  deals  with  phases 
of  the  industry  and  describes  the  species, 
although  it  does  not  review  the  excellent 
work  which  has  been  done  in  recent  years 
on  the  strange  life  history  of  these  mus- 
sels, for  the  most  part  by  employees  of 
the  Bureau  of  Fisheries.t — AV.  F.  T. 

A  SNIPE-FISH  FROM  CATALINA. 
Tlie  president  of  the  Tuna  Club  of 
Catalina  Island,  Mr.  J.  A.  Ccxe,  gave  the 
undersigned  a  very  small  fish,  with  a  long 
snout,  which  he  said  had  been  picked  up 
on  the  beach  at  Avalon.  This  fish  proved 
to  be  identical  with  the  Marrorhamphosus 
haicaiiensis  desci'ibed  by  Dr.  C.  H.  Gilbert 
from  near  T^aysan  Island,  as  taken  by  the 
United  States  Bureau  of  Fisheries  steamer 
"Albatross."  A  figure  of  this  species  may 
be  seen  in  Volume  23,  Part  2,  of  the 
Bulletin  of  the  United  States  Bureau  of 
Fisheries.  According  to  a  recent  review 
of  the  species  of  the  family,  the  form 
found  in  the  Hawaiian  Islands  is  the 
same  as  a  species  taken  in  East  Africa, 
the  Indian  Ocean,  China,  and  the  Medit- 


**Habits  and  Economic  Relations  of  the 
Guano  Birds  of  Peru,  by  R.  E.  Coker. 
Proceedings  of  the  United  States  National 
Museum,  Vol.  56,  pages  449-91L  Plates 
53-69.      Document   No.    2298. 

tFresh  Water  Mussels  and  Mussel  In- 
dustries of  the  United  States,  by  R.  E. 
Coker.  Bulletin  of  the  Bureau  of  Fish- 
eries, Vol.   36.     Document  No.   865. 


CALIFORNIA   FISH   AND   GAME. 


33 


erranean,   namely  Macrorhamphosiis  veli- 
iaris  Pa  11  as. J 

If  this  is  true,  the  species  is  very  wide- 
spread indeed.  The  writer  has  not  had 
the  opportunity  of  comparing  specimens 
from  these  various  localities,  hence  it  is 
not  possible  to  state  positively  that  this 
species  is  in  reality  the  somewhat  cosmo- 
politan one  mentioned  above.  That  from 
Catalina  was  compared  directly  with  the 
type  of  ]\facrorlinmpliosH,<i  liawaiiensis. 
This  is  a  new  and  most  interesting  record 
for  our  Pacific  Coast,  this  form  not  being 
an  active  swimmer  as  most  recently  found 
"visitors"  are.— W.  F.  T. 

THE   "RUNNER"    FISH    IN    LOWER 
CALIFORNIA. 

Mr.  Gilbert  Van  Camp  of  the  Van 
Camp  Sea  Food  Company  has  in  his 
possession  a  mounted  specimen  of  the 
"Runner"  of  tropical  seas,  Elagatis  bipin- 
nulatits  (Quoy  and  Gaimard).  It  was 
taken  at  Cape  San  Lucas,  Lower  Cali- 
fornia, during  the  spring  months  of  1919, 
while  its  owner  was  engaged  in  operating 
a  cannery  in  Lower  California. 

This  is,  in  so  far  as  the  writer  is 
aware,  the  sole  record  of  this  species  from 
the  western  coast  of  North  America, 
although  known  from  the  East  Indies,  the 
West  Indies,  Hawaii,  India,  and  occa- 
sionally north  as  far  as  Long  Island  on 
the  eastern  coast  of  the  United  States. 

The  species  may  obviously  be  expected 
some  time  to  put  in  an  appearance  on  the 
coast  of  Southern  California.  It  is  one  of 
those  species  commonly  supposed  to  be 
widely  distributed,  although  specimens 
from  different  regions  have  not  been 
closely  compared  to  make  the  fact  certain. 

It  is  to  be  recognized  by  the  long 
dorsal  and  anal  fins  and  by  the  presence 
behind  each  of  a  detached  fiulet  containing 
two  rays.  It  belongs  to  the  same  family 
of  fishes  as  does  our  common  yellow-tail 
(Seriola),  namely  the  Carangidae. — 
W.  F.  T. 

THE   OCCURRENCE   OF  THE 
JAPANESE  HERRING. 

In  California  Fish  and  Game  for 
April,  1918,  page  4,  Professor  Starks  of 
Stanford  University,  in  reviewing  the 
herrings  and  herring-like  fishes  of  Cali- 
fornia, briefly  describes  and  gives  an  illus- 


tSee    Regan    Annals    and    Magazine    of 
Natural  History,    (8)    13,  p.   17. 


tration  of  the  Japanese  herring,  Etru- 
meus  microps.  He  says  in  part:  "The 
Japanese  herring  is  a  common  species  in 
the  Hawaiian  Islands  and  in  Japan, 
Specimens  have  been  taken  at  San  Diego, 
and  a  few  years  ago  two  specimens  were 
sent  to  Stanford  University  from  that 
locality  with  the  statement  that  it  was 
not  rare  in  certain  seasons.  It  should  be 
looked  for  and  its  appearance  and  abund- 
ance reported  to  the  State  Fish  and  Game 
Commission." 

A  specimen  of  this  species  was  taken 
with  the  sardines  caught  November  3, 
1919,  by  the  boat  "Maru,"  near  San 
Pedro,  according  to  Mr.  E.  M.  Nielsen  of 
the  San  Pedro  office  of  the  Commission. 
The  specimen  was  forwarded  to  the  lab- 
oratory and  proved  to  be  the  Japanese 
herring.  It  resembles  the  sardine  closely 
enough  to  be  difficult  to  distingTiish,  and 
its  appearance  may  be  frequent  despite  its 
apparent  rarity. — W,  F.  T. 

DEEP   SEA  "MONSTER"   CAPTURED. 

Among  the  strange  fishes  taken  in  the 
fine-meshed  nets  used  on  the  boat  "Alba- 
core"  for  the  collection  of  young  fish, 
there  is  none  more  bizarre  in  appearance 
than  the  great-mouthed  ferocious  looking 
little  monster,  Idiacanthus  antrostomus, 
Gilbert.  This  fish  is  about  three  inches 
long,  jet  black  in  color,  and  of  slender 
worm-like  form.  A  row  of  luminous  spots 
are  placed  on  each  side,  supposedly  sup- 
plying light,  for  at  the  depth  normally 
inhabited  by  this  fish,  there  is  little  light. 
The  head  is  large,  the  eyes  small,  and  the 
mouth  enormous,  bristling  with  fang-like 
teeth  of  assorted  sizes. 

This  species  has  only  been  recorded  by 
Dr.  Gilbert  in  1890  as  taken  off  Catalina 
Island  at  a  depth  of  G03  fathoms.  Our 
specimens  were  taken  May  6,  1919,  at 
night  in  but  20  fathoms,  one  near  Cata- 
lina and  one  about  90  miles  off  shore, 
near  Cortez  Bank.  Other  closely  related 
species  have  been  taken,  one  in  the  mid- 
Atlantic  from  a  depth  of  2750  fathoms, 
and  one  from  off  the  Chilean  coast  from 
677  fathoms.— E,  H. 

MEXICAN   FISHES   IN   CALIFORNIA 
PORTS. 

One  of  the  finest  food  fishes  to  come 
into  Southern  California  ports  during  the 
last    season    was    the    Spanish    mackerel, 


34 


CALIFORNIA    FISH    AND   GAME. 


ScoDibcroitui  IIS  siiira,  which  was  brought 
to  San  Diego  from  Moxico  during  October 
in  considerable  quantity.  These  fish  are 
rarely  taken  as  far  north  as  San  Diego, 
but  are  said  by  fishermen  to  be  plentiful 
on  the  Mexican  coast,  a  considerable  dis- 
tance north  of  Cerros  Island. 

Two  beautiful  specimens  sent  us  by  Mr. 
Ilelwig  of  the  San  Diego  office  of  the 
Commission,  are  of  interest,  because  of 
the  arrangement  and  niunber  of  orange 
spots  on  the  sides  of  the  fish,  which  are 
more  numerous  than  in  any  description  of 
the  species,  and  are  arrangi'd  in  about 
IS  or  20  diagonal  rows. 

Mr.  Xeilsen,  statistical  assistant  at  San 
Pedro,  informs  us  that  a  cargo  of  these 
fish  was  also  brought  to  that  port  during 
the  summer. — E.  H. 

FIRST    APPEARANCE    OF   THE 

"CRESTED     BAND-FISH." 

On  July  25.  1010,  a  rare  and  beautiful 
fish  was  brought  to  the  laboratory,  of  so 
strange  a  form  that  it  proved  quite  a 
curiosity    to    fishermen    and    others.      The 


purplish  tints  on  the  head.  The  eye  is 
large  and  placed  low  ;  the  month  is  small 
and  armed  with  many  small  bristle-like 
teeth  ;  the  fins  are  bright  red,  the  dorsal 
extending  from  the  head  to  the  tail.  The 
first  ray  of  the  doi-sal  fin  is  produced, 
forming  a  high  crest  about  eighteen  inches 
long.  Unfortunately  it  was  broken  in 
making  the  capture,  but  was  said  to  bear 
several  membranous  sti-eamers  which  were 
red  like  the  fins. 

This  is  llie  first  specimen  wliicli  has 
fallen  into  the  hands  of  naturalists  in 
America.  Indeed,  probably  not  more  than 
a  dozen  specimens  have  ever  been  taken, 
and  its  rarity  makes  its  occurrence  in 
California  well  worthy  of  note.  The 
species  was  first  described  by  Professor 
Giorna,  of  the  Academy  of  Turin,  in  1803. 
Like  many  other  pelagic  fishes,  it  is  evi- 
dently very  widely  distributed.  It  has 
been  taken  at  various  other  places  in  the 
;Medit(>n'anean,  at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope, 
and  in  New  Zealand.  Single  specimens 
of  the  same  or  very  closely  related  species 


Crested  band-fish.     Lophotes  cepecliaris?     Taken  in  the  surf  at  Long  Beach, 
California,  July  25,   1919.     Photograph  by  V.  B.   Pearl. 


specimen  was  found  to  be  a  si^ecies  of 
Loi>]iotcs,  probabl.v  L.  ccpcdiaiiiis,  Giorna, 
the  "crested  baud-fish."  The  fish  was 
found  swimming  feebly  in  the  breakers  at 
Long  Beach  and  was  caught  by  a  couple 
of  passers-by  who  waded  into  the  surf 
and  seized  it  in  their  hands.  It  was  taken 
to  a  photographer  by  JNIr.  V.  E.  Pearl, 
where  the  accompanying  photograph  (Fig. 
14)  was  made,  and  the  fish  was  then 
given  to  us. 

The  fish  is  long  and  much  compressed, 
being  about  four  feet  long,  eight  inches 
deep,  and  only  one  and  three-eighths  inches 
wide.  The  skin  is  smooth,  without  scales, 
except  for  a  single  row  against  the  dorsal 
fin,    anil    of    a    bright    silvery    color    with 


have  also  been  taken  near  llie  iSIadeira 
Islands  and  in  Japan.  None  of  the  speci- 
mens have  been  taken  in  the  fish's  nat- 
ural hai)itat  which  is  said  to  be  moderate 
depths  in  the  open  sea,  but  all  have  been 
cast  ashore  in  a  greatly  enf(H'ble(l  or 
damaged  cond i t  ion . 

Several  species  of  Lophotes  have  been 
described  but  the  material  for  study  has 
been  so  slight- — a  single  specimen  in  most 
cases — that  it  is  entirely  doubtful  whether 
more  than  one  or  two  species  exist.  Our 
specimen  differs  in  some  resi)ects  from  the 
current  descriptions  of  any  of  the  sup- 
posed species,  but  it  seems  likely  that  it 
belongs  to  the  first  named,  L.  ccpcdiainis 
of  (Jicirna.     Nor  is  the  i-ejalionsliip  of  the 


CALIFORNIA    Fiyil    AND   GAME. 


35 


family   well   uuderstood.      Dr.   Jordan,    in    nvlidic,    for   example."      Thus    our   fish    is 


his  "Guide  to  the  Study  of  Fishes,"  re- 
marks, "It  is  thought  that  the  Lophotidw 
may  be  related  to  the  ribbon  fishes,  Taen- 
iosomi,  but  on  the  whole  they  seem  nearer 
the  highly  modified  Scomhroidei,  the  I'ter- 


placed  in  the  group  of  mackerel-like  fishes 
which  contains  such  peculiar  forms  as  the 
pomfret,   the  dolphin  fish,   the   luvar,   and 
the  square-tail — all  previously  i-ecorded  iu  > 
California  Fish  and  Game. — E.  11.  -x/'A'*' 


CONSERVATION  IN  OTHER  STATES. 


NEW     YORK     ENFORCES     CONSERVA- 
TION   LAWS. 

In  a  recent  New  York  case  a  violator  of 
the  game  laws  was  held  in  $1.(M10  bail  and 
later  paid  a  $500  fine.  The  fact  that 
nothing  but  the  highest  commendation, 
because  of  the  amount  of  these  sums,  has 
been  expressed  by  the  newspapers,  is  an 
indication  of  the  growing  detei-mination 
of  the  public  to  support  the  conservation 
laws.  There  was  a  time  when  case  after 
case  of  this  character  was  thrown  out  of 
court,  or  sentence  suspended,  largely,  it 
would  seem,  from  lack  of  a  full  compre- 
hension of  the  basic  principles  underlying 
the  conservation  law ;  but  the  striking 
contrast  of  recent  cases  disposed  of  shows 
that  all  over  the  land  there  is  an  awaken- 
ing interest  in  game  conservation  and  a 
determination  to  see  that  the  game  laws 
are  enforced. — The  Conservationist,  Vol. 
2,  p.  94. 

PROTECTION  OF  SOCKEYE  SALMON. 

There  was  signed  at  Washington  on 
September  2,  1919,  a  treaty  between  the 
United  States  and  Great  Britain,  having 
for  its  object  the  protection  and  rehabilita- 
tion of  the  sockeye  salmon  in  the  con- 
tiguous waters  of  the  State  of  Washing- 
ton and  the  Province  of  British  Columbia. 
The  protection  accorded  the  salmon  under 
this  treaty  is  such  as  was  determined  to 
be  necessai-y  by  the  International  Fish- 
eries Conference  which  held  hearings  in 
Washington  and  British  Columbia  in 
1918. 

MINNESOTA    AUCTIONS 

CONFISCATED    GEAR. 

The  official  bulletin  of  the  Minnesota 
Game  and  Fish  Department  shows  a 
photograph  of  a  part  of  the  accumulated 
paraphernalia  confiscated  during  the  past 
three  years.  The  picture  shows  nets  and 
traps  of  all  kinds  and  a  row  of  more  than 
a  hundred  and  fifty  guns  and  rifles.    The 


property  was  disposed  of  at  pu1)lic  auction 
on  August  1  and  2.  1919,  the  net  pro- 
ceeds accruing  from  the  sale  amounting 
to  .$2,.592.70! 

VIRGINIA    FAVORS    NEW   TYPE    OF 
REFUGE. 

Instead  of  setting  aside  well  stocked 
areas  as  game  refuges,  the  State  of  Vir- 
ginia is  planning  some  game  preserves. 
Owners  of  tracts  from  200  to  400  acres 
in  each  of  the  400  odd  magisterial  dis- 
tricts are  being  sought  who  will  bequeath 
to  the  commonwealth  exclusive  shooting 
privileges  on  such  tracts.  The  state  will 
then  pest  the  areas  and  plant  thereon 
mated  pairs  of  quail,  which  the  state  will 
secure  from  Texas.  The  quail  are  to  be 
fed  for  the  first  few  weeks,  but  no  attempt 
will  be  made  to  keep  them  within  the 
preserve,  on  the  theory  that  if  they  are 
hunted  outside  the  preserve  they  will 
speedily  learn  the  places  where  they  are 
not  disturbed. 

MINNESOTA  BREAKS  RECORD. 

During  the  j'ear  1918  the  Minnesota 
Fish  and  Game  Commission  reared  333,- 
792,127  fry  and  fingerlings.  This  breaks 
all  records  for  the  state,  the  output  having 
been  about  tripled  since  1911. 

CANADA  ISSUES  EDUCATIONAL 
FILMS. 
The  Ontario  government  has  recently 
organized  the  Ontario  Motion  Picture 
Bureau  for  the  express  puii^ose  of  issuing 
propaganda  by  means  of  films.  The 
Bureau  now  has  200  films,  covering  82 
different  subjects,  which  are  appearing 
before  large  audiences  throughout  Ontario. 
Of  particular  interest  are  two  films  en- 
titled "Fish  as  Food"  and  "Ontario 
Fisheries."  More  and  more  are  fish  and 
game  resources  being  advertised  by  means 
of  films. 


36' 


CALIFORNIA   FISPI    AND   GAME. 


LIFE  HISTORY  NOTES. 


FOREST     FIRES     DESTROY     GAME. 

The  forest  fires  in  the  Angeles  National 
Forest  during  the  fall  of  1919  were  very 
destructive  to  game  of  all  kinds.  The 
burned  area  covers  over  two  hundred 
thousand  acres  of  the  forested  canyons 
and  ridges  and  brush  covered  hillsides 
(see  Fig.  15). 

The  carcasses  of  deer  have  been  found 
by  fire  fighters  in  many  places.  Gray 
squirrels  and  mountain  quail  have  suffered 
severely. 

I  have  just  made  a  survey  of  conditions , 
in  Pacoima  Canyon,  and  the  Little  Tu- ' 
junga  and  Big  Tujunga  canyons.     In  the 


and  Azusa,  where  they  sought  shelter  in 
vain,  because  the  fire  swept  widely,  over 
the  entire  brush  covered  hills  of  the  south 
slopes  of  the  Sierra  Madre  Mountains. 

It  was  pitiful  to  see  dozens  of  moun- 
tain quail,  gathered  around  a  little  pool 
of  water  in  a  canyon,  their  feathers 
burned  and  topknots  gone.  In  dozens  of 
places  I  came  across  similar  groups. 

The  greatest  menace  to  game  comes 
from  the  destruction  of  food.  At  this 
time  the  soeds  had  all  ripened,  and  the 
walnuts,  pine  nuts,  acorns  and  manzan- 
itas  were  ready  to  eat.  These  have  been 
burned    over    a    wide    expan.se,    and    the 


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Fig.   15.     Map  of  Angeles  National  Forest  area  destroyed  by  devastating  forest  fires 
during  the  fall  of  1919.     Severe  injury  to  game  was  the  natural  result. 


first  two,  which  are  outside  of,  but  adjoin- 
ing the  Game  Refuge,  I  saw  numbers  of 
dead  rabbits,  squirrels  and  mountain 
quail.  Big  Tujunga  escaped  total  destruc- 
tion, as  the  flames  did  not  crossi  to  the 
east  side. 

No  doubt  most  of  the  game  escaped 
death  by  flame  and  smoke,  but  the  destruc- 
tion of  food  will  lead  to  widespread 
famine  later.  Fanned  by  a  high  wind 
that  blew  from  the  desert  side  toward  the 
sea,  the  flames  in  places  swept  away  every 
bit  of  vegetation.  The  game  had  no 
choice  but  to  flee  before  the  flames,  toward 
the  foothills,  near  the  towns  of  San  Fer- 
nando,   Sunland,   Monte  Vista,   Pasadena 


coming  on  of  winter  will  make  it  hard 
for  game  to  exist. 

The  recent  rains  in  Southern  California 
fell  at  a  very  opportune  time,  and  so 
gently  as  not  to  cause  any  erosion.  Three 
weeks  after  the  rain  the  burnt  over  hill- 
sides were  becoming  green. 

A  feature  of  the  destruction  of  covers 
for  game  must  not  be  forgotten.  Rabbits 
and  quail,  I  found,  are  massing  on  patches 
of  unburned  territory.  Overcrowding  will 
result,  and  hunters  will  find  it  easy  to 
kill  most  of  the  game  in  such  places.  A 
rancher  at  the  mouth  of  the  Little  Tu- 
junga told  me  that  hunters  had  killed 
sixty-eight    rabbits    in    a    forty-acre    field 


CALIFORNIA    FISH    AND   GAME. 


37 


in  a  couple  of  hours  on  the  Sunday  after 
the  fire,  and  seventy-eight  the  following 
Sunday. 

There  is  a  bright  side  to  the  picture : 
a  great  deal  of  food  was  spared  in  creek 
beds.  A  large  crop  of  quail  had  been 
raised  and  enough  will  be  spared  for 
breeding  next  season,  and  the  early  rains 
have  already  sprouted  the  grass  and 
weeds.  The  game  will  be  restored  in  time, 
but  nature  lovers  and  sportsmen  should 
work  together  to  prevent  a  repetition  of 
these  fires  by  enlisting  government,  state 
and  county  aid,  building  roads  and  fire 
breaks  and  check  dams  in  the  mountains, 
and  reforesting  the  burnt  areas. — 
Charles  G.  Stivees,  M.D.,  Los  Angeles, 
California. 

DOE    WITH    THREE    FAWNS. 

During  the  latter  part  of  August,  the 
writer  ran  across  a  doe  with  three  fawns 
in  the  lava  bed  section  of  the  Modoo 
National  Forest.  I  was  able  to  come  quite 
close  to  the  animals,  which  showed  little 
signs  of  fear.  I  am  quite  positive  that 
there  were  no  other  deer  in  that  imme- 
diate vicinity  at  that  time,  as  I  had  been 
fighting  fire  close  by  and  had  been  all 
around  the  place  where  I  saw  the  doe 
and  fawns.  I  thought  it  unusual  to  see 
a  doe  with  three  fawns,  especially  as  the 
little  fellows  ranged  themselves  alongside 
the  doe  as  if  they  were  perfectly  at  home 
and  belonged  there.  I  stood  looking  at 
the  three  of  them  and  they  at  me  at  a 
distance  of  not  more  than  thirty  feet  for 
about  a  minute,  the  old  doe  stamping 
her  foot  at  me;  then  they  trotted  off 
leisurely  into  the  brush. — Wm.  S.  Brown, 
Alturas,  California. 

WILD  CAT  EATS  CHICKENS. 
I  recently  opened  up  two  wild  cats 
(Lynx  ercmicus  californicus)  to  see  what 
they  had  been  eating.  In  the  stomach  of 
one  I  found  the  remains  of  two  small 
Plymouth  Rock  chickens  which  must  have 
been  caught  at  least  five  miles  from  where 
the  cat  was  killed,  and  in  the  other  the 
remains  of  three  mountain  quail. — D.  W. 
Maxey,  Gorman,  California. 

FOOD  OF  THE   BOBCAT. 

The  wild  cat  (Lynx  eremicus  californi- 
cus) is  still  found  in  numbers  here,  as 
indicated  by  the  number  being  trapped  in 


the  Monterey  district  of  the  Santa  Bar- 
bara National  Forest.  Wild  cats  feed  on 
the  smaller  game  animals  and  birds.  I 
watched  one  of  these  animals  in  his 
attempts  to  secure  a  breakfast  last  sum- 
mer. He  stole  up  on  a  covey  of  mountain 
quail,  and  as  he  flushed  them,  got  two. 
I  have  found  feathers  of  both  mountain 
and  valley  quail,  which  investigation 
proved  were  left  from  a  feast  by  wild 
cats. — H,  H.  Hunt. 

SOUP-FIN    SHARK    EATS    ABALONE. 

In  July  of  last  year  I  was  fishing  for 
sharks  off  the  bridge  at  Ocean  Beach 
when  the  last  shark  I  caught  used  my 
last  bait  (a  small  perch).  I  operated  on 
the  shark  in  an  effort  to  retrieve  my  bait 
and  was  surprised  to  find  an  abalone  out 
of  the  shell  and  apparently  still  alive,  as 
it  seemed  to  still  have  muscular  action. 
Anyway  I  am  positive  it  was  taken  out 
of  the  shell  alive  and  I  wondered  how  the 
shark  accomplished  it.  The  shark  in 
question  was  a  little  over  six  feet  long, 
weighed  I  judged  about  120  pounds,  and 
is  what  we  call  sand  shark  or  soup-fin 
shark  {Oaleorhinus  zyopterus). — A.  E. 
Miller,  East  San  Diego,  California. 

DOES    THE    BARROW    GOLDEN-EYE 
BREED  IN  THE  SIERRAS? 

The  Barrow  golden-eye  (Clangula 
islandica)  is  a  rare  duck  in  California, 
there  being  less  than  a  dozen  records  for 
the  state.  Furthermore,  these  records 
show  it  to  be  a  winter  visitant  which 
occurs  almost  entirely  in  the  central  part 
of  the  state.  However,  this  duck  being  a 
common  breeder  in  the  Rocky  Mountain 
district,  and  having  been  found  breeding 
in  Oregon  and  Washington,  it  would 
seem  possible  that  it  might  also  breed 
around  the  higher  Sierran  lakes.  Evi- 
dence that  this  is  doubtless  true  was  ob- 
tained this  past  summer.  While  on  a 
pack  trip  from  Tahoe  to  Yoseraite,  Smed- 
berg  Lake,  in  the  northern  part  of  the 
Yosemite  National  Park,  was  visited  on 
August  25,  1919.  On  the  lake  were  a 
pair  of  golden-eyes  and  six  young.  The 
adult  birds  were  closely  approached,  mak- 
ing identification  easy.  In  that  no  thought 
was  given  to  the  possibility  of  these 
golden-eyes  being  of  the  rarer  species,  no 
attempt  was  made  to  ascertain  the  shape 
of  the   white   spot  between   the   eye  and 


38 


CALIFORMA    KISH    AND    GAME. 


the  hill.  However,  as  it  is  very  iiuiikely 
that  the  American  jiirolden-oye  would  be 
found  in  such  a  situation  during  the 
summer  season,  it  seems  reasonable  to 
record  the  occurrence  of  the  Barrow 
goklen-eje  at  the  above  time  and  place, 
thus  establishing  the  first  record  of  sum- 
mer occurrence. — II.  C.  Bkyant,  Berke- 
ley.  California. 

MEADOWLARKS     CONTROL     CRICKET 
PEST. 

The  State  of  Washington,  with  the  aid 
of  agents  of  the  I'liitcd  Stales  Department 
of    Agriculture,    has    bi-cii    attempting    to 


control  the  coulee  cricket,  which  devas- 
tates lai'ge  areas  in  the  vicinity  of  Adrian, 
Washington.  According  to  Mr.  Max 
Ueeher,  scientific  assistant  in  the  United 
Sbites  Bur(>au  of  Entomology,  western 
raeadowlarks  appeared  in  groat  numbers 
in  the  Dry  Coulee  last  fall  and  began 
eating  the  newly  hatched  crickets.  So 
efficient  were  these  birds  iu  controlling 
the  situation  that  arrangements  for  a 
1!H!)  control  campaign  were  abandoned. 
The  meadowlarks  were  almost  entirely 
responsible  for  the  complete  cleanup  of 
the  area. — A.  C.  BuKRii.L,  Forest  (Jrovo, 
Oregon. 


CALIFORNIA    FISH    AND   GAME.  39 


REPORTS 


SEIZURES— FISH,    GAME     AND     ILLEGALLY     USED     FISHING     APPARATUS. 

July  1  to  September  30,   1919. 

Game. 

Deer  meat  1,424   pounds 

Quail  10 

Ducks   63 

Pigeon   4 

Rabbits 51 

Deer  hides  8 

Miscellaneous  birds  19 


Fish. 

Striped  bass  — - ^ 1,3213  pounds 

Black  bass 22  pounds 

Halibut   5,890  pounds 

Catfish  45  pounds 

Whitefish 15  pounds 

Trout    -■ 70  pounds 

Salmon    —  292  pounds 

Perch    7  pounds 

Barracuda  250  pounds 

Crabs   267 

Lobsters    127 

Clams 457 

Clams   675  pounds 

Dried  shrimps 3,500  pounds 

Abalones  (dried)  150  cases 

Abalones 47 

Nets   (illegal)   2 


Searches. 
Illegal  fish  and  game 13 


40 


CALIFORNIA    PISH    AND   GAME. 


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42 


CALIFORNIA   FISH    AND   GAME. 


Mexico.          --- 

82,000 

3,484 

8,350 

12,460 

1.470,330 
36,494 

"  68,020 

23 
41 

Total 

San  Ulego 

III                11)1                III 

III        1    1    1    I        III 

III                1        1        1        1                III 
III                1        1        1        1                III 

II!       III!       Ill 

ill       III!       1    '.   ! 
1    <    <       1    t    1    1       III 

8,350 
8,425 

!  Il      i  j  is      !  i  ! 

II                         III                        III 

II                         III                        III 
II                        III                        III 
II                        111                        III 

Ijos  Angeles 

San  Luis' Oljispo. 
Santa  Barbara. 
Ventura 

s  ji     j  i  1  1     js  1 
i^     i  I  I  i     !     i 

1           !   !   i    1       !       i 

1                      1       1       1       1              I               • 

Monturey 

1,337 
67,941 

Santa  Cruz 

547 

San  Francisco, 
San  Mateo 

1,570 

766 

987,975 

23 
21 

lis     I  J  i  i     i 

!        1    IQ                1        1        1        1                1 

1 

1 
1 

1 

I 
1 

1 

Contra  Co?ta. 
/ilameda 

Tehama. 
Colusa, 
Sutter 

j  I  j     !  j  1  1     is  i 

Sacramento. 
San  Joaquin-- 

1    !    !       I    I    I    I       III 
ill        III;        1    1    1 

Solano,  Volo 

Marin 

III        in  *     1     I          1     1     r 

III            CQ    Ml        1        1                III 

i  j  j  %^\  \   \\{ 

Mendocino. 
Sonoma.  Lake 

III           1     1     t     1     '*    1     1     1 
III            1      1      1      1            III 

!  1  I     III!     i  !  ! 

Ill           i     1     1     1           III 

Del  Norte, 
numboldt 

310 

1 

c 
o 

s 
s 

03 

Cuttle  fish 

Limpets  

Mussels    

Oysters   (shell) 

Eastern  No.  _. 
Oysters    (native) 

Snails,  sea 

Squid    

Miscellaneous — 
Progs   (doz.)    ... 

03 

u 
1  ^ 

<t 

u  O 
<t-i  n 

5  I* 

>, 

s:  c 
«  — 

ft 


c" 

O  W 

^^ 

o  a 
o  t^ 

ftC 
u  *-■ 
«  a; 


•s    g 

Sec 

^!C 
<D  OT 

MUfe 

ft  w  — 

H  C  X 

2  c  to 


to  gto 

a;  0)  m 
o  c  >■ 

c-  ir  =^ 

!5o;c 


W  c  ., 

|Si  -M 


CALIFORNIA    FISH    AND   GAME. 


43 


VIOLATIONS    OF    FISH    AND    GAME    LAWS. 
July    1    to   September   30,    1919. 


Offense 


Game. 
Hunting  without  license 

Refusin'^  to  show  license  on  demand 

Making  false  statement  on  application 

Deer— excess  limit— close  season— killing  or  possession „_ 

Female  doer— spike  bucks— fawns— killing  or  possession 

Illegal  deer  hides 

Failure  to  retain  head  and  horas  of  deer 

Hunting  on  posted  grounds 

Fur-bearing  mammals— close  season— killing  or  possession 

Nongame  birds— killing  or  possession 

Shore  birds— close  season— killing  or  possession 

Cottontail  and  brush  rabbits— close  season— possession 

"Wild  pigeons— close  season— killing  or  possession 

Doves— close  season — killing  or  possession 

Quail — close  season— killing  or  possession 

Ducks— close  season— killing  or  possession II 

Tree  squirrels— close  season— killing  or  possession II 

Grouse— close  season— killing  or  possession 


Number  of 
arrests 


Fines 
imposed 


Total  game  violations- 


Fish. 
Angling  without  license 

Fishing  for  profit  without  license 

Trout — excess  limit — close  season — taking  or  possession 

Trout — taking  other  than  by  hook  and  line 

Striped  bass— close  season— sale— undei-weight — excess  limit 
Black  bass — close  season— sale — underweight — excess  limit-. 

Salmon— excess  limit — Sunday  fishing 

Crabs— undersized— close  season — taking  or  possession 

Clams— undersized — close    season— excess    limit — taking    or 

possession  ; 

Abalones — undersized— close  season — taking  or  possession.. 
Lobsters— under  or  oversized— close  season— taking  or  pos- 
session   

Dried  shrimps — possession  

Illegal  nets  

Pollution  of  waters 

Total  fish  violations 

Grand  total  fish  and  game  violations 


54 

$775  00 

1 

10  00 

1 

20  00 

31 

840  OO 

39 

2,160  00 

15 

300  00 

8 

425  00 

7 

175  00 

4 

95  00 

3 

30  00 

1 

25  OO 

23 

520  00 

4 

120  00 

11 

225  00 

26 

885  00 

7 

155  00 

1 

2 

50  OO 

238  $6,810  00 


13 

18 

4 

1 

16 
2 
2 
2 


$280  00 
275  00 
150  00 

25  00 
495  00 

50  00 
20O0O 

40  00 


6 
3 

150  00 
75  00 

4 
8 
5 

1 

60  OO 
180  00 
550  00 
200  00 

85 


323 


$2,730  00 


$9,540  00 


44 


CAI.II'OKNI  A     I'ISII      \M)    CAME. 


STATEMENT    OF    EXPEN  DITU  RES— YEAR    1919. 


Items  of  expense 


June 


July 


August 


Gcnoral  adraini.stration  $2,212  94 

Kcsoareli,  inihlicity  and  education 334  97 


Printing 

Kisli  oxliil)it.<?  

(ianic  rxliibits 

'i'alioc  Campins  Ground 

Mountain    lion    bounties 

Litlioyrapliiny   hmiting  licenses. 
LitliograjiliiriK   angling   licenses. 

Hunting   license  commissions 

.Angling  license  commissions 

.Alarkct    lishing   commissions 


.Sacramento  district 

i.os  Angeles   district 

Launch   patrol 

Prosecutions  (fish  and  game). 

Crawfish  inspection  

AVinter  game  feeding 

Accident  and  death  claims 


Hatchery  administration 

Mount  Shasta  Hatchery 

Klamath  Station  

Fall  Creek  Hatchery 

Mount  Whitney  Hatchery 

Cottonwood   Creek    Station 

Cottonwood  Lakes  Station 

Tahoe  Hatchery 

'I'allac  Hatchery  

Chico  Experimental  Station 

Fort  Seward  Hatchery 

Kcl  River  Station 

IJkiah  Hatchery 

Snow  Mountain   Station ^ 

Brookdale   Hatchery   

Scott  Creek  Station 

Feather  River  Hatchery.- 

Almanor  Hatchery 

Domingo   Springs  Hatchery 

Clear  Creek  Hatchery 

Bear  Lake  Hatchery 

North  Creek  Station 

Wawona  Hatchery 

loscmite  Hatchery  

Kaweah  Hatchery 

Fish  Transplanting   

Screens,  fishways  and  water  pollution. 
Special  field  investigation 


Department  of  Commercial  Fisheries. 


$2,714  57 
403  29 


308  81 


$3,037  71 

228  49 

1.476  71 

569  58 


160  00 


1,257  71 

210  OO 

1.440  00 


1.296  17 
260  00 


1.573  90 

2,066  10 

7  00 


1.396  30 

1,651  00 

38  50 


755  70 

453  90 

54  50 


$6,693  72   $9,141  37   $8,132  76 


San  Francisco  district $6,680  73 


5,143  76 

2,509  20 

1,435  64 

82  30 

200  00 


$7,196  73 
5,394  08 
2,566  81 
1,069  94 

""'i22"58' 


$7,480  37 

5,650  36 

2,915  85 

2,393  80 

135  OO 

100  00 


124  04 


124  04 


284  14 


$16,175  67   $16,474  18   $18,959  52 


$1,215  11 

2,462  24 

5  00 

390  95 

1,444  29 


$1,197  91 

5,683  06 

5  00 

826  96 

1,760  91 

25  00 

97  16 

5  00 

566  13 

221  72 

696  01 


$983  65 

6,029  26 

617  07 

442  03 

2,859  33 


500 

581  36 

30  00 

630  76 


311  01 


388  05 
30  00 


496  02 

157  00 

492  30 

31  00 


139  15 


442  98 
31  00 


332  70 
473  56 
162  57 
269  03 
208  25 
93  76 
176  P3 
112  51 
3  00 
635  84 


162  50 

1,331  49 

145  64 

443  52 

31  34 

127  70 

284  05 

156  21 

3  00 

686  19 


149  36 

992  47 

1,163  93 

716  41 


251  64 

180  54 

3  00 

883  30 


$10,060  65   $15,632  82 
3,914  92    4,283  53 


$17,132  24 
5,035  21 


$36,844  96   $45,531  90 


$49,259  73 


California  Fish  and  Game 

"CONSERVATION   OF  WILD   LIFE  THROUGH   EDUCATION" 


Volume  6  SACRAMENTO,  APRIL,  1920  Number  2 


CONTENTS. 


Page 

THE  ABALONES  OF  NORTHERN  CALIF0RNIA______T7iM  F.  Thompson  45 

SOME  NOTES  ON  DRY  FLY  FISHING— No.  3 R.  L.  M.,  California  50 

THE  MULLET  FISHERIES  OF  SALTON  SEA 

Will  F.  Thompson  and  Harold  G.  Bryant  GO 

EDITORIALS   ^-  6i 

FACTS  OF  CURRENT  INTEREST 73 

HATCHERY    NOTES    74 

COMMERCIAL    FISHERY    NOTES 8U 

NOTES  FROM  THE  STATE  FISHERIES  LABORATORY 83 

LIFE    HISTORY    NOTES 88 

UNITED    STATES    FOREST    SERVICE    COOPERATION 88 

RE ports- 
Fishery   Products,   October,   November,    December,   1919 90 

Fishery  Products  for  the  year  1919 93 

Canned,  cured,  and  manufactured  Fishery  Products  for  the  year 

1919   96 

Violations  of  Fish  and  Game  Laws 98 

Seizures    98 

Expenditures ■ 99 


THE  ABALONES  OF  NORTHERN  CALIFORNIA.* 

By  Will  F,  Thompson. 

In  northern  California  there  are  found  three  species  of  abalone: 
namely,  Haliotis  rufescens,  Swainson,  the  red ;  H.  cracherodii,  Leach,  the 
black ;  and  H.  wallalensis,  Stearns,  the  northern  green  abalone.  Earnest 
search  has  failed  to  reveal  the  abalone  of  British  Columbia  and  Alaska, 
H.  gigantca,  Chemnitz.  But  one  of  these,  the  tirst  named,  is  found  in 
numbers  rendering  it  of  importance  as  food.  It  is  exceedingly  difficult 
to  gauge  the  absolute  abujadance  of  this  red  abalone  in  any  place  without 
the  aid  of  diver's  apparatus.  For  that  reason  it  has  been  judged  best 
to  give  merely  a  record  of  the  localities  in  which  specimens  were  obtained, 
and  a  general  statement  as  to  the  abundance  along  the  various  parts  of 
the  coast.  H.  cracherodii  reaches  its  greatest  abundance  to  the  south- 
ward of  San  Francisco,  and  it  is  present  in  northern  California  only 
occasionally. 

*California  State  Fisheries  Laboratory,   Contribution  No.   17. 


46" 


CALIFORNIA   FISH    AND   GAME. 


% 


Fig.   16.     Red  abalono   (Haliotis  rufescens  Svvainson),  from  Crescent  City,  California 

Length  &\^  inches. 


CALIFORNIA   PISH   AND   GAME.  47 

Abalones  dwell  solely  along  the  outer  coasts,  but  there  they  dwell 
wherever  they  are  afforded  a  foothold  on  or  beneath  rocks  on  a  coast 
free  from  loose  sand  and  mud.  The  red  a))alone  is  found  below  extreme 
low  tide  line  and  occasionally  a  little  above,  the  black  is  at  a  higher  level 
and  rarely  below  low  tide  line,  while  the  northern  green  abalone  is  found 
only  at  about  low  tide  level  as  far  as  known.  All  species  agree,  however, 
in  requiring  a  rocky,  surf-beaten  coast,  and  the  localities  given  below  are 
all  of  this  nature. 

Halioiis  rufescens  was  found  in  some  numbers  in  the  following 
localities  by  others  than  the  writer,  if  enclosed  in  parentheses : 

(Point  Saint  George,  rarely.)  (Newliuvon  Landing.) 

Patriclc's  Point,  rarely.  (Manchester.) 

Cape  Mendocino,  rarely.  Point  Arena,  abundant. 

McNutt's  Gulch,  near  Cape  Mendocino.  Arena  Cove. 

Mattole    River,    1    to    lA    miles   north    of  Busier    Beach,    123    degrees    43    minutes 

Cape  Mendocino.  west,    38    degrees    57    minutes    north, 

(Punta  Gorda.)  abundant. 

Spanish    Flats,    124   degrees    15    minutes  dlayward's  Beach.) 

west,  40  degrees  20  minutes  north.  Saunders'   Lauding,   123  degrees  40  miu- 

( Eraser's  Creek,  near  Cape  Mendocino.)  utes  west,  38  degrees  51  minutes  north. 

Shelter  Cove,  abundant.  Bowen's  Landing. 

(Whale  Gulch  to  Needle  Rock.)  Gualala,  123  degrees  31  minutes  west,  38 

Bear  Landing,  in  moderate  abundance.  degrees  45  minutes  north. 

Usal,    123    degrees    50   minutes    west,   40  (Del  Mar  to  Stewart's  Point.) 

degrees  north.  Stewart's  Point. 

(Rockport.)  (Salt  Point.) 

Hardie's  Creek.  (Fort   Ross.) 

(Union   Landing.)  Russian  River. 

Abalone    I'oint,    123    degrees   48    minutes  (Bodega  Head.) 

west,  39  degrees  50  minutes  north.  (Toraales  Point.) 

Bruhel's  Point   (McRay's  Point).  Point  Reyes,  moderate  abundance. 

(Kibesillah  Rock.)  Dnxhury  Reef. 

(Hare  Creek  and  Beaver  Point.)  (Bolinas  Point.) 

(Caspar,    .39    degrees    11    minutes    north,  (Double  Point.) 

123  degrees  49  minutes  west.) 

From  Point  Saint  George,  the  northernmost  record,  it  was  possible 
to  obtain  no  live  specimens,  but  Mr.  Franz  of  Crescent  City  contributed 
a  shell  which  he  had  kept  for  some  time  as  an  unusual  specimen.  At 
Patrick's  Point  live  specimens  were  taken,  and  they  were  abundant 
enough  so  that  eight  or  nine  might  be  obtained  by  searching  diligently 
throughout  a  low  tide.  Not  until  Cape  Mendocino  was  reached  were 
there  sufficient  numbers  to  render  the  species  of  importance,  wdiile  at 
Shelter  Cove,  about  forty  miles  southward,  there  was  an  abundance. , 
From  that  locality  to  Point  Reyes  it  might  be  considered  that  there  was 
a  slight  increase  in  abundance  when  equally  favorable  situations  were 
coanpared,  and  the  effect  of  the  relative  amount  of  local  use  was  con- 
sidered. At  F'oint  Reyes,  the  abalone  has  been  obtained  by  divers,  with 
apparatus  enabling  them  to  go  to  considerable  depths,  and  it  is  probable 
that  such  methods  could  be  used  as  far  north  as  Shelter  Cove  with 
success.  '  *-' 

Haliotis  cracherodii,  the  black  abalone,  reaches  as  far  north  as  Point 
Arena,  where  an  occasional  specimen  is  found  by  local  men.  But  one 
was  obtained  from  that  locality.  They  are  also  found  at  Duxbury 
Reef,  and  are  reputed  to  be  found  now  and  then  in  the  regions  between 
Point  Arena  and  San  Francisco,  but  no  actual  evidence  was  obtained. 
In  no     locality  in  northern  California  do  they  reach  any  abundance, 


48 


CALIFORNIA    FISH    AND   GAME. 


Fig.   17.     Black  abalone    (Haliotis   cnKlirrorlii  Leach),   from  Point  Arena,   California. 

Length  6 ',4  Inches. 


CALIFORNIA   FISH    AND    GAME. 


49 


4'     if  '"^ 


Fig.    18.     Northern  green  abalone   (.Haliotis  wallalensis  Stearns),  from  Abalone  Point 
near  Westport,  California.     Length  4%   inches. 


50  CALIFORNIA   FISH   AND   GAME. 

however,  which  would  justify  calling  them  anything  but  rarities  until 
Duxbury  Reef  is  reached,  and  it  is  safe  to  say  that  they  will  never 
be  of  commercial  importance. 

Haliotis  icallalcnsis,  Stearns,  is  a  small  species  distrilnited  along  the 
coast  between  AVestport  and  the  Russian  River,  a  distance  of  about 
a  hundred  miles.  Although  it  is  often  found  in  numbers  sufificient 
to  be  of  importance  to  local  users,  it  is  small  and  little  valued  save 
for  the  very  beautiful  shells.  Despite  the  extensive  use  made  of 
abalones,  the  species  has,  to  our  knowledge,  only  occasionally  been 
found  south  of  the  Russian  River,  namely  at  Monterey,  where  it  is 
regarded  as  a  curiosity. 

It  is  here  regarded  as  a  species  distinct  from  the  green  abalone  of 
southern  California,  which  it  resembles  in  appearance.  The  type 
localit}'  of  the  species  is  Gualala,  where  it  was  found  by  the  writer  in 
abundance,  as  also  at  Abalone  Point  near  Westport.  A  single  speci- 
men was  obtained  at  the  Russian  River,  and  one  was  obtained  at 
Monterey  from  Mr.  Ernest  Dalder.  Local  inhabitants  often  fail  to 
distinguish  it  from  the  young  of  the  red  abalone.  It  reaches,  however, 
a  length  not  greater  than  five  and  one-half  inches,  has  five  or  six  open 
holes  (instead  of  the  three  or  four  of  the  red  abalone),  and  the  edges 
of  these  holes  are  not  elevated. 

In  conclusion,  it  is  evident  that  there  is  but  the  one  species  of 
importance  found  in  northern  California,  namely,  the  red  abalone. 
and  all  the  commercially  valuable  beds  of  that  are  found  south  of 
Shelter  Cove,  over  slightly  more  than  half  the  length  of  the  coast 
between  San  Francisco  and  the  Oregon  line. 


SOME  NOTES  ON  DRY-FLY  FISHING.     No.  3. 

By  R.  L.  M.,  California. 

I  do  not  believe  that  any  one  will  disagree  with  the  statement  that 
it  requires  a  little  more  skill  to  cast  and  deliver  a  diy  fly  properly 
than  is  needed  to  throw  a  wet  fly.  Such  being  the  case,  w^iat  are  the 
principal  factors  that  tend  to  promote  or  assist  the  skill  thus  demanded  ? 
There  are  several,  among  which  the  rod  is  one  of  the  most  important. 

It  is  true  that  Mr.  G.  A.  B.  Dewar  ("The  Book  of  the  Dry  Fly," 
London,  1897)  is  rather  inclined  to  underrate  the  efficacy  of  first-class 
equipment.  He  writes :  "  It  is  not  the  rod  so  much  as  the  hand 
which  wields  it  that  kills  the  trout."  There  is  no  doubt  about  the 
correctness  of  this  statement,  and  if  we  were  all  as  skillful  as  the 
talented  author  of  this  book,  no  more  w^ould  need  be  said  on  the  subject 
of  rods. 

But  unfortunately  very  few  of  us  are  able  to  devote  more  than  a 
much  too  brief  period  to  the  delights  of  angling,  and  such  being  the 
case  it  behooves  us  to  take  everv  advantage  that  we  can  and  to  obtain 


CALIFORNIA    FISH   AND   GAME. 


51 


everything  that  will  enable  lis  to  meet  the  trout  on  a  more  even  foot- 
ing. Therefore  we  should  equip  ourselves  with  the  best  that  modern 
ingenuity  and  skill  can  produce. 

Casting  or  throwing  the  line  out  over  the  water  is  performed  by 
the  action  of  the  rod  which  gets  its  initial  impetus  from  the  hand  of 
the  fisherman. 


IV 


/ 


v. 


it 


\ 


/ 
/. 


Fig.  19.  Diagrams  showing  tlie  mechanics  of  fly  casting.  AUhough  the  tip  of  the 
rod  may  be  moving  at  the  same  speed  in  a,  b,  and  c,  yet  in  the  first  instance  only 
would  the  line  be  properly  cast. 


In  figure  19  "a"  is  a  diagram  meant  to  represent  the  rod  at  two 
instantaneous  moments,  viz,  at  the  beginning  and  the  end  of  the  stroke 
that  is  made  when  casting.  The  tip  of  the  rod,  to  which  the  line  is 
connected,  moves  from  A  to  B.  Now  if  w^e  could  move  the  tip  of  the 
rod  from  A  to  B  with  the  same  speed  as  in  "a,"  but  at  the  same  time 
while  doing  this,  move  the  lower  point  of  the  rod  an  equal  distance, 
we  should  not  be  able  to  cast  (see  "b,"  figure  19)  nearly  as  long  a  line 
as  in  the  first  case.  And  if  it  were  possible  to  make  a  motion  with  the 
rod  similar  to  that  illustrated  in  "c"  of  figure  19,  we  should  find  that 
to  all  intents  and  purposes  we  could  not  cast  the  line  out  at  all.  Yet 
in  all  these  three  cases  the  tip  of  the  rod  (to  which  the  line  is 
attached)  would  be  moving  through  the  air  at  the  same  speed.  From 
the  foregoing  we  can  deduce  that  something  more  than  plain  motion 
of  the  tip  of  the  rod  is  required  in  casting,  and  by  regarding  "a" 
again  we  shall  decide  that  circular,  or  as  it  is  called  in  mechanics,  an 
angular  motion  of  the  rod  is  necessary  to  propel  the  line.  But  why 
does  this  angular  motion  produce  results  when  the  others  fail?  The 
answer  is  found  in  "a"  of  figure  20.  The  weight  of  the  line  and 
other  causes  prevent  the  tip  of  the  rod  from  moving  in  synchronism 
with  the  lower  parts  and  by  the  time  the  end  of  the  stroke  has  been 
reached  the  rod  is  bent  to  the  fullest  extent  that  is  possible  for  the 


52 


CALIFORNIA   FISH   AND    GAME. 


particular  weight  or  length  of  line  being  used  for  that  individual  case. 
The  position  of  the  rod  at  the  end  of  the  stroke  is  similar  to  that  of  a 
bent  spring,  ready  to  fly  back  to  its  unstrained  or  natural  position 
(i.  e.,  straight). 


Fig.  20.  Successive  positions  of  the  fly  rod  when  in  action,  sliowins  the  "snap." 
It  is  the  recovery  of  tlie  tip  similar  to  the  action  of  a  bent  spring  tliat  furnishes  tlie 
necessary  impetus  to  tlie  line.  In  b  the  action  is  too  slow  to  be  very  effective,  due 
to  the  bending  qualities  of  the  pole. 

It  is  the  recovery  of  this  l)ent  spring  that  furnishes  the  necessary 
impetus  to  the  line.  An  al)solutely  stiff  rod  Avithno  bend  to  it  at 
all  would  cast  a  line,  Init  not  any  length  of  line  to  speak  of,  and  it 
would  be  a  very  tiring  rod  to  use.  On  the  other  hand  a  rod  with 
unlimited  bending  qualities  would  be  too  slow  in  action  to  be  very 
effective   (figure  20  "b"). 

While  we  have  figure  20  fresh  in  our  memories,  and  before  going 
on  to  the  other  matters,  I  may  remark  that  this  illustration  helps  to 
demonstrate  the  correct  manner  of  making  a  stroke  with  a  fly  rod. 
The  easting  stroke  (whether  backward  or  forward)  should  be  started 
slowly,  the  speed  should  be  continually  increased  to  the  end.  where  a 
more  or  less  abrupt  stop  is  made.  This  can  only  be  done  if  the  rod 
is  held  tightly  or  firmly  by  the  hand. 

Wlien  fisliing  with  a  wet  fly  all  tliat  we  have  to  do  is  to  lift  the  line 
off  the  water  and  cast  it  back  again  (figure  21  "a."  But  when  using 
a  dry  fly,  nine  times  out  of  ten  we  have  to  dry  the  fly  before  returning 
it  to  the  water.     This  moans  that  instead  of  finishing  off  the  forward 


Fig.  21.  Diagrams  showing  the  mechanics  of  the  false  cast  utilized  in  drying  the 
fly  in  dry-fly  angling.  The  line  is  checked  before  it  reaches  the  water  and  is  returned 
behind  the  angler,  as  in  c. 


stroke  as  at  "8,"  figure  21  "a,"  we  must  be  able  to  check  the  line 
before  it  reaches  the  water  and  return  it  behind  us  again.  This  is 
what  is  known  as  a  ''false  cast"  and  it  may  be  necessary  to  make  four 
or  five  or  even  more  false  casts  before  the  fly  is  dry  enough  to  float 
once  again.  Figure  21  "c"  illustrates  the  manner  in  which  the 
forward  stroke  is  checked  when  making  a  false  cast. 


CALIFORNIA   FISH    AND   GAME.  53 

It  is  in  the  making  of  these  false  casts  that  the  virtues  of  a  dry-fly 
rod  become  apparent.  Quite  a  number  of  people  think  that  the  only 
difference  between  a  dry-fly  rod  and  a  wet-fly  rod  is  that  the  former 
costs  more  than  the  latter.  Such,  however,  is  not  the  case  by  any 
means.  If  we  want  a  rod  capable  of  extending  a  line  of  any  length 
backwards  and  forwards  in  the  air,  we  must  have  a  rod  that  is  able  to 
impart  the  necessary  impetus  to  the  line  with  the  least  amount  of 
angular  motion  possible. 

In  figure  22  I  have  shown  the  difference  between  the  actions  of  a 
wet  and  a  dry-fly  rod ;  l)oth  are  supposed  to  have  an  equal  length  and 
weight  of  line  attached  to  them.  Now  it  will  be  noticed  that  owing  to 
the  greater  bending  of  the  wet-fly  rod,  somewhat  more  vertical  motion 
is  imparted  to  the  line  than  is  the  case  with  the  dry-fly  rod.  In  practice 
(i.  e.,  when  fishing)  this  extra  vertical  motion  would  mean  that  when 
using  a  wet-fly  rod  for  dry-fly  fishing  there  would  l)e  a  probability  that 
the  fly,  when  being  dried,  would  either  strike  the  water  in  front,  or 


F'iG.  2  2.  Diagrams  showing  the  difference  in  action  between  tlie  wet  and  dry-fly 
rod.  Owing  to  tlie  greater  bending  of  the  wet-fly  rod  a  more  vertical  motion  is 
imparted  to  the  line  than  is  the  case  with  the  dry-fly  rod. 

catch  up  in  the  grass  behind  the  angler ;  whereas,  the  same  length  of 
line  could  be  easily  extended  in  both  directions  without  any  danger  of 
such  mishaps  if  a  good  dry-fly  rod  was  substituted  for  the  wet-fly  rod. 
A  dry-fly  rod  is  able  to  accomplish  this  because  it  has  more  resilience 
or  moi'e  snap  to  its  spring  than  a  wet-fly  rod  has.  We  may  therefore 
conclude  that  there  is  something  more  than  a  mere  matter  of  price 
between  a  wet  and  a  dry-fly  rod.  This  difference  is  a  structural 
difference  and  it  consists  of  making  the  lower  portion  of  a  dry-fly  rod 
much  stiff er,  i.  e.,  less  susceptible  to  bending  than  is  the  case  with  a 
wet-fly  rod.  Then  again  the  middle  section  should  be  stronger  or 
stiffer,  because  in  the  dry-fly  rod  the  effective  bending  portion  of  the 
rod  has  to  be  concentrated  within  a  shorter  length  than  in  a  wet-fly 
rod.  In  both  these  lower  sections  the  extra  or  added  strength  can  only 
be  obtained  by  putting  more  material,  whether  cane  or  wood,  into  the 
rod;  but  when  we  come  to  the  uppermost  portion  or  the  tip,  this  must 
be  delicate  enough  to  enable  us  to  use  the  very  finest  of  leaders.  It  is 
a  fact  that  a  skillful  dry-fly  man  uses  finer  leaders  to  land  fish  of  two 


54  CALIFORNIA    FISH    AND   GAME. 

pounds  aud  over  tlian  the   wet-fly  man   would   care  to   use   for  the 
capture  of  trout  of  a  quarter  of  a  pound  or  less. 

Now  when  we  carefully  consider  the  necessary  qualifications 
demanded  of  a  dry-fly  rod  together  with  the  fact  that  the  weight  must 
be  kept  down  to  very  small  proportions,  is  it  any  wonder  that  all  this 
refinement  means  a  somewhat  higher  price  for  a  dry-fly  rod  than  is 
asked  for  the  other  type  of  rod  ?  I  do  not  want  any  one  to  run  away 
with  the  idea  that  I  am  criticising  wet-fly  fishing.  AVe  are  all  familiar, 
at  least  I  presume  all  my  readers  are  familiai:,  with  wet-fly  fishing,  and 
T  am  using  wet-fly  methods  solely  as  a  basis  for  comparison.  For 
instance,  I  might  say  "John  is  a  very  tall  man."  But  that  does  not 
give  any  very  exact  information;  but  if  I  said  "John  is  six  inches 
taller  than  Henry"  it  would  not  necessarily  mean  that  Henry  was  short 
(he  might  be  a  six-footer)  ;  but  it  would  give  one  a  very  clear  idea 
as  to  just  exactly  how  tall  John  really  was,  provided  of  course  that  he 
was  familiar  with  Henry. 

Each  method,  i.  e.,  wet  or  dry,  has  its  own  particular  field  of  action, 
and  when  fish  can  be  caught  with  the  wet  fly  it  is  a  needless  refinement 
to  attack  them  with  a  dry  fly ;  but  when  once  a  man  has  used  the  dry 
fly  successfully,  the  tendency  is,  owing  to  its  wonderful  fascination,  to 
continue  the  use  of  the  dry  fly  whenever  and  wherever  it  is  possible. 

After  having  thus,  successfully  I  hope,  cleared  my  skirts  of  imputa- 
tion of  criticism  or  aloofness  to  the  wet-fly  school,  I  will  continue  the 
original  theme. 

The  best  length  of  rod  for  all-around  dry-fly  work  will  be  found  to  be 
nine  feet  and  six  inches.  If,  however,  most  of  one's  fishing  will  be 
done  on  small  streams  where  long  casts  are  the  exception,  this  length 
can  be  reduced  by  six  inches.  Do  not  expect  to  get  a  rod  of  the  length 
first  mentioned  of  featherweight  lightness.  Somewhere  between  five 
and  six  ounces  will  be  as  light  a  rod  as  it  is  possible  to  get  and  still 
maintain  the  necessary  strength  required.  A  nine-foot  rod  will  be 
possibly  one  ounce  lighter.  Our  grandsires  used  much  longer  and 
heavier  rods.  Francis  Francis  ("A  Book  on  Angling,"  1867)  mentions 
four  rods  ranging  in  weight  from  13  ounces,  4  drams  to  14  ounces,  6 
drams  and  in  length  from  11  feet,  7  inches  to  12  feet,  8  inches.  He, 
however,  preferred  a  double-handed  rod  for  his  own  use  and  he  men- 
tions two  favorites,  viz,  14  feet,  6  inches  and  15  feet,  2  inches  long. 
Lord  Grey  remarks  on  the  wonderful  accuracy  with  which  ]Mr.  Francis 
cast  a  small  fly  with  such  a  large  rod  (p.  113,  "Flv  Fishing,"  London, 
1899). 

The  reason  why  we  are  today  using  such  shorter  rods  than  formerly 
is  chiefly  owing  to  the  introduction  of  the  six-piece  split  cane  rod. 

David  Foster  ("The  Scientific  Angler,"  London,  1882)  draws  a  com- 
parison between  the  length  of  rods  used  in  Walton's  time  and  that  of 
those  which  we  use  now.  Charles  Cotton,  who  wrote  the  second  part  of 
"The  Complete  Angler,"  and  which  was  incorporated  in  the  fifth 
edition  (1676),  gives  five  or  six  yards  as  being  the  best  length  for  a 
fly  rod  which  should  be  "made  of  fir  wood  for  the  two  or  three  lengths 
nearest  the  hand  and  of  other  wood  nearer  the  top. ' '  What  that ' '  other 
wood"  was  history  does  not  relate. 


CALIFORNIA   FISH    AND   GAME.  55 

Richard  Brookes  ("The  Art  of  Angling,"  1740)  says  practically 
nothing  about  rods,  but  Thomas  Best,  who  wrote  another  "Art  of 
Angling,"  1787,  specifies  in  his  quaint  way. 

Ash    7  feet 

Hazel    7  feet 

Yew     2  feet 

Whalebone   6  inches 


16  feet  6  inches 

In  my  copy,  which  is  the  fifth  edition  (1802),  the  same  lengths  and 
materials  are  given  but  not  in  this  peculiar  form,  which  reminds  one  of 
bookkeeping. 

The  action  of  these  old-time  rods  was  Avhat  we  should  call  "very 
slow."  By  that  I  mean  that  when  bent  they  were  very  slow  in  recover- 
ing to  a  straight  position.  Such  being  the  case,  it  was  necessary  to  have 
a  long  rod  if  the  fly  was  to  be  cast  any  distance  at  all  to  speak  of. 
Furthermore  the  rods  could  not  begin  to  carry  lines  of  the  weight  we 
use  today.  In  "Walton's  time  hair  lines  were  used;  during  the  early 
part  of  the  nineteenth  century  a  line  of  mixed  hair  and  silk  was  the 
best  that  could  be  got,  but  when  solid  braided  and  dressed  silk  lines 
came  in  all  the  others  were  relegated  to  the  scrap  pile. 

In  connection  with  these  ancient  rods  it  is  extremely  interesting  to 
read  about  the  importance  these  old-time  authors  placed  on  the  direction 
of  the  wind.  It  was  a  sine  qua  non  with  them  to  have  it  at  their  back. 
Some  of  them  assert  that  it  is  impossilile  to  cast  against  the  wind,  but 
even  when  they  do  admit  that  it  can  be  done,  they  say  it  is  a  very 
difficult  feat  to  accomplish  successfully  and  warn  the  beginner  against 
trying  to  do  it.  Everybody,  however,  did  not  use  these  double-handed 
rods.  Colonel  Hawker,  in  the  fewest  possible  words,  votes  for  a  single- 
handed  rod  12  feet  3  inches  long;  Pulman  ("Vade  Mecum, "  1841) 
selects  a  "small  rod  about  11  feet  long"  and  Francis  Popham,  who  was 
a  member  of  The  Houghton  Fishing  Club  from  1822  to  1858,  was  noted 
as  having  always  fished  with  a  single-handed  rod. 

Up  to  the  time  of  the  introduction  of  the  close-grained  ti*opical  or 
subtropical  woods  there  was  no  very  great  progress  made  in  reducing 
the  length  of  fly  rods;  but  when  these  woods  made  their  appearance, 
rod  makers  were  not  long  in  discovering  their  adaptability  for  light 
fly-casting  rods.  Greenhart,  which  is  the  best  of  all  wood  for  this 
purpose  (Wells  "Fly  Rods  and  Fly  Tackle,"  N.  Y.,  1885),  was  first 
mentioned  by  Stewart  in  his  "Practical  Angler"  (1857),  but  he 
classes  it  with  logwood  as  being  too  "brittle  and  heavy,"  from  which 
we  must  conclude  that  the  greenhart  he  had  in  mind  was  not  a  par- 
ticularly good  specimen. 

Mr.  W.  A.  Hunter,  manager  for  C.  Farlow  &  Company,  St.  James 
Square,  London,  W.,  writes  as  follows  in  connection  with  this  wood: 

Greenhart  is  not  mentioned  in  the  official  records  of  the  International  Exhibition 
in  1851,  and  though  our  firm  exhibited  rods  then,  the  kind  of  wood  used  is  not 
mentioned,  and  we  have  no  clear  records  left  of  that  time. 

It  would  seem  from  the  above  (taken  in  conjunction  with  Stewart's 
remarks)  "that  greenhart  was  first  used  in  the  manufacture  of  fishing 
rods  somewhere  about  1850-1857." 


56"  CALIFORNIA    FISH    AND    GAME. 

I  have  quoted  Mr.  Hunter,  because  of  the  fact  that  Farlow  &  Com- 
pany have  for  years  had  a  very  ^roat  rppntation  fi^r  tlu'ir  sri'oi'iihart 
rods. 

A  really  good  greenhart  rod  is  a  delightful  weapon  willi  which  to 
cast  ordinary  fishing  distances,  and  some  of  the  men  who  have  used 
them  for  a  long  time  can  not  be  induced  or  made  to  l)olieve  that  tbrre 
is  something  better  than  greenhart.  The  disadvantage  of  greenhart 
and  all  wooden  rods  is  that  in  our  dry  climate  they  may  in  time  become 
brittle,  and  when  least  expected  and  nearly  always  at  an  inopportune 
time,  the.v  have  a  habit  of  breaking  oft'  short  at  the  .junction  of  the 
wood  and  a  ferrule.  A  well-made  split  cane  rod  will  itevcr  break  if 
treated  as  it  should  be.  Whenever  a  man  is  seen  at  the  waterside  with 
a  broken  split  cane  rod,  there  are  only  tw'O  possible  reasons  for  the 
fracture :  one  is  that  the  rod  was  a  worthless  piece  of  goods  to  l)egin 
with,  and  the  other  is  that  the  owner  used  it  for  something  for  which 
it  was  never  intended. 

With  the  modern  six-strip  cane  rod,  owing  to  its  strength  and 
resiliency,  it  is  possible  to  cast  a  heavy  line,  to  cast  it  to  distances 
undreamt  of  by  the  earlier  generations  of  anglers,  and  furthermore  to 
cast  across  or  right  into  the  teeth  of  any  wind  short  of  a  hurricane. 

The  only  advantage  that  a  long  rod  can  have  over  a  short  one  is  that 
more  command  may  be  had  over  a  hooked  fish ;  but  the  rod  is  not  the 
weak  link  in  the  chain ;  the  weakest  link  is  the  extremity  of  the  fine  gut 
leader ;  that  is  really  the  factor  that  decides  how  much  force  we  can  use, 
and  not  the  strength  or  length  of  the  rod. 

For  comfort  in  fishing  the  handle  or  hand  grasp  should  be  made 
large  enough  so  that  no  part  of  the  hand  is  in  contact  with  any  metal. 
Furthermore  the  diameter  of  the  handle  should  be  such  that  the  muscles 
of  the  hand  do  not  become  cramped  l)y  holding  the  rod.  A  rod  handle 
that  may  seem  comfortable  enough  for  wet-fiy  fishing  becomes  a  verital)le 
torture  if  used  for  dry-fly  casting  owing  to  the  fact  that  we  have  to 
cast  so  much  more  frequently.  I  refer  to  the  false  casts  necessary  to 
dry  the  fly.  A  properly  shaped  handle  does  not  exactly  add  to  the 
artistic  lines  of  the  lower  extremity  of  the  rod,  but  it  is  an  infinitely 
pleasanter  thing  to  fish  with.  It  is  a  very  great  mistake  to  imagine 
that  a  rod  can  be  made  effectively  lighter  by  paring  down  the  handle. 
The  balance  of  the  rod  is  obtained  by  the  weight  of  the  reel  and  fre- 
quently, in  fact  nearly  always,  the  reel  and  the  line  on  it  are  not 
quite  heavy  enough  to  give  a  correct  balance.  If  we  take  a  rod  into 
our  hands  and,  without  attaching  the  reel,  we  make  a  few  strokes  in  the 
air  with  it,  we  at  once  notice  that  it  feels  top-heavy,  ov  in  other  w'ords 
there  is  a  distinct  sensation  of  weight  felt.  Now  attach  a  reel  or  any 
other  form  of  weight  to  the  reel  seat.  The  heavy  feeling  that  the  rod 
had  has  now  vanished,  or  else  it  is  not  so  noticeable.  To  arrive  at  a 
correct  balance  it  is  best  to  attach  a  moderate  weight  first  and  gradually 
increase  it  until  the  top-heavy  sensation  has  completely  disappeared. 
But  note  this :  Sufficient  weight  must  not  be  added  so  as  to  induce  a  too 
lively  feel  to  the  rod.     If  this  is  done  the  rod  will  be  "over-balanced" 


CALIFORNIA   FISH   AND   GAME.  57 

and  although  the  effort  required  in  casting  will  be  reduced  to  a  mini- 
mum, the  accuracy  and  control  of  the  line  will  be  to  a  great  extent  lost. 

The  fully  equipped  rod  should  balance  at  a  point  about  three  to  five 
inches  above  the  upper  end  of  the  handle  (or  hand  grasp) .  There  is  no 
rule  or  formula  by  which  this  point  can  be  found.  The  only  satisfactory 
way  is  by  the  trial  of  various  weights  as  already  explained.  When  the 
correct  weight  has  been  found,  deduct  the  weight  of  the  reel  and  line 
from  this,  and  make  up  the  remainder  by  an  equal  weight  of  soft  lead 
wire,  which  can  be  wound  on  to  the  empty  spool  of  the  reel  before  the 
line  is  wound  on.  The  best  type  of  reel  to  use  is  a  contracted  single 
action  click  (adjiLstable)  one.  With  such  a  reel  the  line  can  be  wound 
in  as  fast  as  with  a  multiplier;  the  spool  is  short  or  narrow  but  the 
diameter  is  large.  The  best  that  have  been  procurable  up  to  the  present 
have  been  the  best  grade  of  English  made  reels  (See  ^'Saturday  Evening 
Post,"  August  9,  1919;  "Very  Efficient"  Camp  in  "Fishing  with 
Floating  Flies,"  1916;  Geo.  P.  Holden  "Stream  Craft,"  1919,  says 
they  "are  exquisite"),  but  one  of  the  leading  American  reel  companies 
will  shortly  place  a  first  class  fly  reel  on  the  market. 

Charles  Zibeon  Southand,  in  "Trout  Fly-Fishing  in  America,"  1914, 
gives  a  table  of  lengths  and  weights  of  rods  and  the  proper  weight  of 
reel  to  balance  them.  He  bases  his  table  on  the  supposition  that  the 
reel  should  weigh  half  again  as  much  as  the  rod.  Using  this  table  as  a 
starting  point  a  four-ounce  rod  would  call  for  a  six-ounce  reel.  A 
3^-inch  reel  will  weigh  about,  five  ounces,  which  gives  us  one  ounce 
of  margin  for  the  line.  If  this  is  not  enough  a  slightly  smaller  reel 
weighing  less  could  be  used.  However,  it  will  frequently  be  found  that 
the  very  light  rods  need  a  lot  of  counterweight  to  properl}^  balance 
them. 

A  9|-foot,  6-ounce  rod  that  I  use  a  great  deal  for  dry-fly  fishing  is 
perfectly  balanced  by  a  total  of  9  ounces  made  up  of  reel,  line  and  lead 
wire. 

A  tapered  oil-dressed  silk  line  is  the  only  one  to  consider  in  connection 
with  this  kind  of  fly-fishing.  These  lines  are  prepared  by  soaking  them 
in  pure  boiled,  or  cold  pressed,  linseed  oil.  Mr.  ]\Iartin  E.  Mosely,  one 
authority,  advocates  the  former;  and  a  description  of  his  method  will 
be  found  in  Halford's  "Dry-Fly  Man's  Handbook."  A  copy  of  this 
(i.  e.,  the  line  dressing)  appeared  in  "The  American  Angler,"  Decem- 
ber, 1918,  under  the  heading  "Dress  Your  Own  Line."  Another  great 
authority  on  this  subject,  viz,  Mr.  W.  D.  Goggeshall  (an  American  and 
past  president  of  The  Fly-Fishers  Club,  London),  writes  in.  a  recent 
issue  of  "The  Fishing  Gazette": 

Never  use  air  pump  ;  always  put  line  in  hot  oil ;  heat  oil  so  hot  that  it  will  burn 
jour  finger,  put  line  in  oil,  keeping  heat  up  until  air  bubbles  seem  to  rise;  take  oQ: 
the  fire  anrl  allow  line  to  cool  in  oil  and  hang  line  up  to  dry.  Better  to  .stretch  line 
first,  though.  To  get  a  perfect  surface  apply  cold  oil  when  line  is  stretched  and 
dried.  Be  sure  that  evcrii  coat  is  thoroughly  dry  before  second  coats  are  applied. 
Rub  down  smooth  and  polish  with  soft  rag  and  talc  powder. 

Mr.  Perry  D.  Frazier,  of  Ridgewood,  N.  J.,  who  is  the  author  of  one  or 
two  books  on  angling  matters,  manufactures  oil  dressed  lines  that  com- 
pare very  favorably  with  the  best  imported  article. 


58  CALIFORNIA   FISH    AND   GAME. 

Different  methods  are  used  for  gauging  these  tapered  lini-s.  Some 
mamifactiirers  call  them  ''No.  1,  2,  3,"  etc. ;  others  use  tlie  alpliabet  and 
specify  "D,  E,  F, "  etc.;  consequently  unless  we  know  the  iceic/ht  of  the 
line  it  is  not  much  use  spying  that  such  and  such  a  rod  should  have  an 
**F"  or  "p]"  line,  as  the  case  may  be.  The  line  should  fit  the  rod. 
By  this  I  mean  that  the  line  should  bo  sufficiently  heavy  to  fully 
develop  the  casting  power  of  the  rod.  If  the  line  is  not  of  sufficient 
weight  when  the  easting  stroke  is  made  the  rod  will  not  be  bent  far 
enoug*h  to  fully  develop  its  spring  (see  figure  20)  and  it  will  take 
considerably  more  effort  to  cast  the  line  than  would  ])e  necessary  if 
the  proper  size  or  weight  of  line  was  used.  On  the  other  hand,  a  line 
that  is  too  heavy  for  the  rod  will  in  a  very  short  time  completely  ruin  it. 

For  ordinary  occasions,  i.  e.,  when  the  wind  is  not  too  strong,  a  9-foot 
tapered  leader  is  advisable.  It  should  be  tapered  from  fairly  heavy 
gut  at  the  upper  end  down  to  the  "finest  undrawn"  at  the  lower 
extremity.  Finest  undrawn  gut  is  approximately  the  same  sixe  as  X 
drawn  gut;  but  the  undrawn  gut  is  about  15  per  cent  stronger  than 
drawn  gut  of  equal  diameter.  These  undrawn  gut  leaders  are  very 
scarce  and  extremely  hard  to  get  hold  of;  consequently  most  of  us  will 
have  to  be  content  with  leaders  whose  fine  points  are  made  of  drawn 
gut.  Drawn  gut  is  listed  as  X,  XX,  XXX,  etc.,  but  anything  less  than 
XXX  is  rather  too  fine  for  the  sort  of  fish  we  hope  to  catch.  I  might 
mention,  however,  that  trout  of  over  five  pounds  have  been  caught  on 
XXX  leaders. 

When  a  strong  wind  is  blowing  the  length  of  the  leader  should  be 
reduced  to  74  or  even  6  feet,  but  do  not  make  this  reduction  by  cutting 
off  from  one  or  other  end  of  the  leader.  Get  these  short  leaders  made 
up  just  the  same  as  the  longer  ones,  i.  c.,  fully  tapered  from  end  to  end. 
I  do  not  believe  there  is  any  economy  in  buying  gut  in  hanks  and  mak- 
ing up  one's  own  leaders.  To  make  up  a  good  tapered  leader  several 
hanks  of  gut  would  be  required. 

There  are  100  strands  in  each  hank  and  if  they  were  all  made  up 
into  leaders  we  should  probably  have  about  70  or  80  leaders  on  hand. 
Gut  does  not  improve  with  age ;  consequently  long  before  we  got  to  the 
end  of  our  leaders  wc  should  find  that  they  were  beginning  to  deteriorate 
and  in  all  probability  the  last  few  dozen  would  have  to  be  thrown 
away,  thus  wiping  out  at  once  any  paper  profit  that  might  have  been 
theoretically  possible.  Some  people  will  tell  you  that  they  always  make 
up  their  own  leaders  and  that  bought  leaders  are  no  good.  There  is 
but  one  answer  to  this  and  it  is :  AVhere  did  they  buy  these  poor  leaders? 
If  leaders  are  obtained  from  reputable  houses  and  a  good  price  is  paid 
for  them  they  will  be  all  that  any  one  can  desire  and  much  better  than 
99  per  cent  of  us  could  make  for  ourselves.  I  always  aim  to  use  up 
my  leaders  every  season  and  not  to  carry  any  over  to  the  next;  then  I 
know  that  the  leaders  I  am  using  are  the  best  that  can  be  got  and  are 
not  weakened  in  the  least  by  age.  There  are  several  substitutes  for  gut. 
They  generally  have  queer  sounding  names  and  are  not  as  strong  as  gut 
of  equal  diameter.  They  are  more  opaque  than  gut,  and  when  they  get 
wet  they  become  so  soft  and  limp  that  they  do  not  lay  the  fly  out  over 


CALIFORNIA  FISH   AND   GAME.  59 

the  water  properly ;  therefore,  they  are  not  to  be  thought  of  in  connec- 
tion with  dry-fly  fishing. 

There  are  several  other  appliances  peculiar  to  dry-fly  fishing  and  I 
will  mention  them  briefly.  The  first  is  the  "line  greaser"  which  is  a 
little  folded  leather  pad  which  has  several  sheets  or  folds  of  cloth  inside. 
These  are  liberally  doped  with  some  grease,  such  as  red  deer  fat, 
mucilin,  vaseline,  or  mutton  fat.  Before  commencing  to  fish  the  line 
(not  the  leader)  is  rubbed  dow^n  with  the  greaser  in  order  that  when  it 
is  cast  it  will  float  on  top  of  the  water.  Then  there  is  the  oiling  device. 
This  may  be  a  small  atomizer,  or  a  little  bottle  with  a  small  brush,  or  a 
small  metal  box  with  some  felt  pads  well  soaked  with  the  oil  used  to 
assist  the  fly  in  floating.  Oil  is  not  necessary  to  make  the  fly  float. 
Before  it  was  used  flies  were  made  to  float  and  some  men  still  refuse  to 
use  it ;  but  all  said  and  done,  oil  is  a  wonderful  help.  "When  it  is  used 
a  fly  will  never  become  quite  as  wet  as  it  will  if  it  has  not  been  annointed, 
and  furthermore  a  wet  fly  that  has  been  oiled  can  be  dried  much  quicker 
than  an  unoiled  fly.  The  dry-flies  are  kept  in  a  box  and  not  in  a  book, 
because  they  should  not  be  crushed.  There  are  numerous  kinds  of  fly 
boxes  on  the  market  and  I  hope  to  give  illustrations  of  several  of  them 
in  one  of  the  future  series  of  these  notes. 

A  landing  net  is  one  thing  that  can  not  be  dispensed  with.  It  should 
be  large  and  have  a  handle  of  fair  length.  There  are  a  number  of 
folding  nets  on  the  market.  Some  are  too  small  for  anything  but  very 
little  fish.  A  span  of  sixteen  inches  across  the  mouth  of  the  net  is  not 
too  much,  and  the  net  itself  should  be  at  least  twenty  inches  deep.  It 
is  much  better  to  have  a  landing  net  of  the  large  size  than  to  have  one 
that  is  too  small.  Imagine  the  feelings  of  a  fisherman  w^ith  a  five-pound 
trout  ready  to  land,  and  a  net  so  small  that  it  would  be  difficult  to  lift 
out  the  fish  with  it  even  if  the  fish  w^ere  dead.  The  best  thing  to  do  in 
this  case  is  to  throw  the  net  away  and  pull  out  a  handkerchief  and, 
taking  this  in  your  hand,  lift  out  the  fish ;  but  be  quite  sure  the  fish  is 
all  in  before  you  try  to  do  so. 

And  finally  there  is  the  creel  or  basket  in  which  to  put  the  fish  we 
expect  to  catch.  Get  a  good-sized  one,  one  that  will  take  a  two-pound 
trout  without  bending  the  fish.  Above  all  things  get  one  that  is  not 
easily  opened,  for  tw^o  reasons :  if  it  opens  easily  it  may  act  without 
your  knowledge  and  dump  some  of  your  fish  on  the  scenery ;  and  if  it  is 
easily  opened  some  inquisite  stranger  may  casually  open  it  when  there 
are  no  fish  inside  for  the  I.  S.  to  admire  and  for  the  owner  to  feel 
proud  of. 

Having  briefly  described  the  implements  used  in  the  art,  I  propose 
to  give  a  demonstration  of  their  use  in  the  next  issue  of  California 
Fish  and  Game,  which  will  be  before  the  public  just  about  the  begin- 
ning of  the  vacation  season. 


60  CAlilFORNIA   FISH   AND   GAME. 

THE  MULLET  FISHERIES  OF  SALTON  SEA. 

Bj-  Will  F.  Thompson  and  Harold  C.  Bryant. 

The  Salton  Sea  is,  in  reality,  a  portion  of  the  Gulf  of  California,  cut 
off  by  the  cnlarg:emcnt  of  the  delta  of  the  Colorado  River.  It  has  been, 
consequently,  evaporated  to  relatively  ]nty]\  salinity  dnringf  eaeh  of  the 
long  periods  when  the  Colorado  Kiver  enij)tied  its  waters  into  the  gulf. 
Geologists  believe,  in  fact,  that  the  river  has  periodically  emptied  its 
flood  in  to  the  Salton  Sea,  raising  its  level,  and  extending  its  area,  just 
as  it  did  during  1900.  At  present  the  Colorado  is  prevented  from  doing 
this  by  the  dikes  along  its  l)anks,  built  in  order  that  the  Imperial  Valley 
may  be  safe,  and  that  it  may  be  irrigated,  but  the  irrigating  canals  carry 
a  certain  amount  of  waste  water  into  the  sea.  There  are,  in  addition, 
fresh  water  springs,  notably  one  called  Fish  Spring,  which  pour  con- 
siderable amounts  of  fresh  water  into  the  sea. 

Little  is  known  about  the  fisheries  of  the  Salton  Sea  before  the  last 
break  in  the  jetties  of  the  Colorado  River.  In  1905  the  water  of  the 
Colorado  River  poured  down  what  are  now  known  as  the  New  and 
Alamo  rivers  in  a  great  flood  which  carried  160,000,000  cubic  feet  of 
Avater  into  the  sea  daily.  The  result  was  a  great  enlargement  of  the 
sea  and  the  extensive  freshening  of  its  waters.  The  extension  of  the 
sea  buried  the  Southern  Pacific  lines  along  its  shores,  covered  the 
adjacent  territory  which  at  that  time  was  beginning  to  be  placed  under 
cultivation,  and  threatened  great  financial  loss  to  the  Southern  Pacific 
Company,  which  owned  alternate  sections  of  land  throughout  the  ter- 
ritory. In  1906  the  break  was  closed  )iy  the  Southern  Pacific  ('Ompany, 
after  a  spectacular  struggle.  It  was  through  this  break  tliat  the  fishes 
now,  or  recently,  present,  entered  the  Salton  Sea. 

During  the  earlier  portion  of  the  period  since  1906,  considerable 
numbers  of  "carp,"  if  the  indentification  of  others  than  scientists  be 
trusted,  were  to  be  found  in  the  sea,  and  some  eight  3'ears  ago  a 
promoter  started  a  company  Avitli  the  idea  of  using  these  carp,  and 
other  fresh  water  fish,  for  oil  and  fertilize^.  Having  built  flic  proper 
buildings,  installed  machinery  and  launched  boats  in  the  sea,  the  com- 
pany was  unable  to  operate  because  it  was  unable  to  find  sufficient  fish. 
At  this  time,  Captain  Chas.  Davis,  who  came  originally  from  New  p]ng- 
land  and  was  familiar  with  fisheries  of  all  sorts  from  an  extensive 
experience  on  all  our  coasts,  went  to  Salton  Sea  to  investigate  the  likeli- 
hood of  extensive  fisheries  being  built  up.  His  report  was  adverse. 
The  company  for  some  time  endeavored  vainly  to  dispose  of  the  equip- 
ment, but  was  unable  to  until  they  accepted  Davis'  offer  of  $500.  The 
latter  then  scrapped  all  the  machinery,  turned  the  buildings  into  a 
pleasure  resort  for  the  people  of  the  valley,  and  took  up  land  in  the 
vicinity  when  the  sea  had  subsided  sufficiently.  The  buildings  are  now 
more  than  a  mile  from  the  sea. 

However,  five  years  ago,  in  1915,  mullet  {Mugil  crphnliis)  began  to 
appear  in  the  sea,  and  Davis  placed  weirs  of  wire  netting  along  the 
shallow  shores  of  the  sea  to  impound  them.     He  was  able  to  obtain  a 


CALIFORNIA   PISH   AND   GAME. 


61 


large  amount  of  fish  at  times,  but  could  not  develop  a  market  for 


them    at   the   time,    even    in   Los 


Angeles 


and  San  Francisco.  At- 
tempts to  sell  the  fish  in  the  Im- 
perial Valley  were  fruitless,  the 
fish  being  named  "cow-carp"  and 
regarded  as  very  poor.  These  at- 
tempts, however,  laid  the  founda- 
tion for  a  later  very  good  demand. 
The  approach  to  Captain  Davis' 
land  being  cut  off  by  the  overflow 
from  irrigation  ditches,  he  was 
prevented  from  pursuing  the  fish- 
ery until  the  last  year,  but  certain 
Japanese  and  Greeks  did  catch 
ecusiderable  quantities,  using  much 
of  the  mullet  for  oil,  and  shipping 
some  to  market.  The  Greeks  still 
operate.  In  the  last  year  Captain 
Davis  has  again  begun  shipping 
mullet,  catching  them  by  means  of 
halibut  trammel  nets.  The  catches 
during  the  winter  months  by  two 
men  using  eight  trammel  nets  of 
thirty  fathoms  length  each,  com- 
prise but  250  or  300  pounds  daily, 
taken  in  the  vicinity  of  the  mouths 
of  the  rivers,  in  shallow  water. 
These  fish  are  landed  and  shipped 
from  Niland  to  Los  Angeles  or  San 
Francisco.  Captain  Davis  receives 
15  cents  per  pound  for  the  fish  at 
the  station. 

The  recession  of  the  sea  has  made  considerable  trouble  so  far  as 
landing  the  catch  is  concerned.  As  the  fall  is  only  about  four  feet  per 
mile,  there  are  great  tiats  covered  with  water  only  six  or  eight  inches 
deep,  in  which  a  boat  can  not  easily  be  moved.     Captain  Davis  has  in 


Fig.  23.  Captain  Charles  Davis,  a 
mullet  fisherman  of  the  Salton  Sea,  Im- 
perial County,  Caliiornia.  Photograph 
by  H.  C.  Bryant. 


Fig.   24.     The  mullet   (,Mugil  ccphalus) ,  a  desirable  food  fish  now  found  in  numbers  in 
Salton  Sea,  Imperial  County,  California.     Photographed  by  H.  C.  Bryant. 


62 


CALIFORNIxV   FISH   AND    GAME. 


a  measure  overcome  the  difficulty  by  making  a  shallow  canal,  up  which 
his  boat  can  be  pulled  part  way  by  means  of  a  picket  line  and  the 
remainder  of  the  way  can  be  pulled  with  a  tow  line. 

According  to  Captain  Davis  mullet  are  found  in  different  locations 
in  the  sea  at  different  seasons.  During  part  of  the  year  they  are  found 
in  great  numbers  on  the  west  shore  of  the  sea  in  grass  which  grows 
profusely  there  and  upon  which  they  feed,  being  vegetarians.  On  a 
visit  to  Bird  Islands,  on  tlie  west  shore  of  the  sea,  on  December  18, 
1919,  there  was  no  evidence  of  mullet,  and  yet  at  times  large  numbers 
are  said  to  be  caught  in  this  vicinity. 

The  fish  are  at  present  of  very  large  size  indeed,  being  between  two 
and  two  and  one-half  feet  in  length.     The  flesh  is  oily  in  the  extreme, 

yielding  fully  a  quart  of  clear  oil  to 
the  ten  pounds  of  fish.  This  oil,  of 
a  delicate  flavor,  renders  the  canned 
mullet  a  delicacy,  and  samples  put 
up  by  a  Los  Angeles  firm  were 
found  to  be  very  palatable.  The 
fact  that  the  fish  is  delicious  should 
have  been  expected  because  of  the 
very  high  esteem  in  which  it  has 
been  held  from  ancient  times, 
domesticated  mullet  being  known 
in  Europe  since  the  times  of  the 
Romans.  The  species  is  found  all 
along  our  coasts,  from  ]\Ionterey 
southward,  and  occasional  schools 
are  taken  in  every  s'heltered  lagoon 
or  bay,  as  well  as  occasionally  up 
the  rivers  in  what  is  really  entirely 
fresh  water.  Its  occurrence  in  the 
Colorado  River  is  not  highly  re- 
markable, and  its  transference  to 
the  Salton  Sea  would  have  been  ex- 
pected by  anyone  familiar  with  its 
habits. 

There  is  also  present  in  the  Sal- 
ton  Sea  a  species  of  top-minnow 
Cyprinodon  macularius,  which  is 
found  in  the  streams  and  springs  of  the  desert  throughout  Southern 
California  and  parts  of  Mexico.  They  are  said  to  be  abundant  in  the 
sea  at  times,  and  specimens  were  obtained  for  us  from  there  and  from 
Fish  Spring  b}^  Captain  Davis. 

It  is,  indeed,  very  questional)! e  whether  the  mullet  will  exist  for  any 
length  of  time.  The  carp,  and  other  fresh-water  fish  in  the  sea,  died 
some  years  ago,  according  to  Captain  Davis'  recollection,  after  a  heavy 
blow  which  mixed  the  waters,  drifting  them  ashore  in  great  quantities. 
During  the  past  two  years  there  have  been  statements  made  to  the  effect 
that  the  mullet  also  have  been  found  on  certain  shores  of  the  lake  in 
great  quantity,  apparently  dead  from  poisonous  waters.  It  is  certain, 
moreover,  that  the  sea  has  been  steadily  falling,  at  the  rate  of  4^  feet 
yearly,  and  as  the  sea  is  everywhere  shallow   (perhaps  25  or  30  feet 


Fig.  25.  MuUet  fisherman  with  part 
of  his  catch.  Photograph  by  H.  C. 
Bryant,  December  19,   1919. 


CALIFORNIA   FISH   AND    GAME.  63 

deep)  it  is  plain  that  it  can  not  last  long  at  such  a  rate  of  fall.  Analysis 
of  the  water  at  a  distance  from  river  mouths  shows  it  to  be  three  or  four 
times  the  salinity  of  ocean  water.  The  water,  moreover,  is  not  merely 
saline.  If  such  were  the  case,  it  is  probable  that  the  mullet,  a  salt  water 
fish,  would  survive  indefinitely.  But  as  a  matter  of  fact  the  water  is 
fed  from  alkaline  springs,  and  has  in  the  past  been  alkaline  in  nature, 
so  that  the  water  must  become  poisonous  rather  than  merely  salty. 
Regarding  this,  however,  there  is  some  question  until  chemists  are  able 
to  analyze  fair  samples  taken  annually,  but  the  probability  is  very  great 
that  the  mullet  will  be  unable  to  exist. 

The  area  near  the  center  of  the  mullet  fisheries  should  prove  of  great 
interest  to  the  geologist.  Mullet  Island  is  a  typical  volcanic  plug.  At 
the  edge  of  the  island  a  number  of  hot  springs  boil  out,  leaving  chemical 
deposits  of  several  colors,  similar  to  those  of  Yellowstone  National  Park. 
Captain  Davis,  by  impounding  the  waters  of  these  springs,  has  suc- 
ceeded in  obtaining  two  different  colored  ''paints,"  and  in  a  third 
reservoir  a  pure  deposit  of  rock  salt  Near  the  island  are  some  mud 
volcanoes  the  cones  of  which  are  from  five  to  eight  feet  in  height.  A 
spring  in  this  vicinity  also  is  geyserlike  in  action,  boiling  out  with  con- 
siderable velocity  periodically.  Because  of  these  natural  phenomena 
the  island  is  visited  by  large  numbers  of  people  from  the  Imperial  Val- 
ley every  week. 


64 


CALIFORNIA   FISII    AND   GAME. 


CALIFORNIA  FISH  AND  GAME 


A  publication  devoted  to  the  conserva- 
tion of  wild  life  and  published  quarterly 
by  the  California  State  Fish  and  Game 
Commission. 

Sent  free  to  citizens  of  the  State  of  Cali- 
fornia. Offered  In  exchange  for  ornitho- 
logrical,  mammalogical  and  similar  period- 
icals. 

The  articles  published  in  California  Fish 
AND  Game  are  not  copyrighted  and  may  be 
reproduced  In  other  periodicals,  provided 
due  credit  is  given  the  California  Fish  and 
Game  Commission.  Editors  of  newspapers 
and  periodicals  are  Invited  to  make  use  of 
pertinent  material. 

All  material  for  publication  should  be 
sent  to  H.  C.  Bryant,  IVIuseum  of  Verte- 
brate Zoology,   Berkeley,  Cal. 

APRIL   19,   1920. 


"There  must  be  a  balance  between  the 
agencies  of  destruction  and  those  of 
conservation.  When  there  is  nothing  left 
to  conserve  then  we  must  give  up  all  of 
our    Ideas    of   sport." — Emerson    Hough. 


ADDITIONAL    GAME    SANCTUARIES. 
Through  an  oversight  the  list  of  Cali- 
fornia's game  sanctuaries  as  given  in  the 
January    number    of    Caijfoknia    P'isii 
AND  Game  lacks  the  follovvinff : 


Name 

County 

A„.        Estab- 
^'^^     1    lished 

4B 
IM 

Los  -\ngEl2S  and  Kern— 
Eern    

23,W0 
8C,640 

1919 
1919 

3E 

Santa  Clara  

3,840 

1919 

This  adds  a  total  of  107,520  acres 
which  should  have  been  included  in  the 
statement,  making  a  total  in  all  of 
y, 107,520  acres.  Sanctuary  4F  was  set 
aside  especially  to  protect  the  few  ante- 
lope which  may  still  exist  in  the  eastern 
end  of  what  is  known  as  "Antelope  Val- 
ley," in  northern  Los  Angeles  Oounty. 

THE  GAME  WARDEN  AT  WORK. 

The  scene  is  laid  in  one  of  the  small 
national  parks  in  the  Southern  Sierras. 
A  state  game  warden,  on  the  look  out  for 
violators,  is  camped  within  the  park  for 
the  night.  A  shot  is  heard  at  dusk. 
The  warden  gets  up  early  the  next  morn- 
ing and  goes  to  the  spot  from  which  the 
shot  was  heard  and  there  discovers  blood 
upon  the  ground.  A  little  search  also 
discloses  the  entrails,  head  and  skin  of  a 
doe.  The  warden  hides  the  head  and  hide 
and  makes  his  way  to  the  camp  of  some 


woodsmen  just  outside  of  the  park.  A 
man  found  at  the  camp  is  asked  if  he 
has  any  deer  meat.  He  replies  "No." 
The  warden  notes  on  the  back  of  the 
woodsman's  hunting  coat  a  large  patch  of 
lilood,  apparently  made  by  carrying  a  deer 
into  camp.  When  questioned  the  woodsman 
states  that  he  does  not  know  what  caused 
the  spot  of  blood.  The  warden  asks -per- 
mission to  enter  the  cabin  and  make  a 
search  and  is  given  this  permission.  On 
entering  the  cabin  the  warden  discovers 
a  flour  sack  filled  with  fresh  venison. 
The  woodsman  then  admits  that  his 
brother  has  killed  a  deer.  He  is  then 
asked  if  the  deer  was  killed  within  the 
national  park  and  is  told  that  it  was  not. 
The  game  warden  then  leads  the  woods- 
man to  the  spot  where  ho  had  hidden  the 
head  and  hide  of  the  doe  and  the  woods- 
man is  made  to  admit  the  fact  that  the 
doe  had  been  killed  within  the  national 
park.  The  outcome,  of  course,  is  a  heavy 
fine  to  the  violator. 

In  California  game  wardens  can  tell 
vou  many  such  stories  as  the  above.  The 
violator  is  nearly  always  a  man  ready  to 
perjure  himself  and  do  anything  to  avoid 
a  court  sentence.  Talk  to  a  game  war- 
den and  you  will  soon  discover  that  it  is 
not  the  detective  alone  who  must  be  clever 
in  sleuthing  and  in  the  gathering  of 
reliable  evidence,  for  the  game  warden 
must  not  only  act  as  police  and  prose- 
cutor, but  he  must  also  be  a  clever  de- 
tective, if  he  is  to  bring  violators  to 
justice. 

DRY    YEARS     INJURE     ANGLING 
PROSPECTS. 

Dry  years  are  coming  to  be  viewed  with 
Trave  apprehension  by  the  angler,  for  he 
,':nows  that  his  sport  is  always  curtailed 
')y  a  lack  of  water  in  the  streams  and 
lakes.  Planting  activities  have  been  com- 
ing to  naught  as  a  re.*ult  of  the  lack  of 
water.  In  many  streams  and  lakes  where 
large  numbers  of  fisli  have  been  planted, 
and  where  a  noticeable  increase  has 
taken  place,  there  has  been  a  depletion  in 
the  abundance  of  fish  due  to  drought. 
Two  power  reservoirs  in  the  Southern 
Sierras,  Huntington  Lake  and  Shaver 
Lake,  although  heavily  stocked  in  the 
past  few  years,  will  furnish  but  poor 
angling  the  coming  season  because  of  the 
fact    that    thousands    of    fish    have    died 


CALIFORNIA   FISH   AND    GAME. 


65 


owing  to  the  present  low  water  and  con- 
sequent poor  food  supply.  Many  streams 
when  they  again  run  bank  full  will  con- 
tain but  a  small  proportion  of  their 
former  stock  of  fish.  Every  angler  should 
look  with  favor  on  future  storage  reser- 
voir projects,  for  in  an  increase  of  such 
reservoirs  lies  a  partial  solution  of  the 
problem  which  presents  itself  with  each 
dry  year  and  its  consequent  low  water. 

GOVERNMENT   AND    FISH    AND    GAME 
COMMISSION       INAUGURATE       FREE 
NATURE     GUIDE    SERVICE. 

So  successful  was  the  summer  resort 
work  inaugurated  by  the  California  Fish 
and  Game  Commission  at  the  Tahoe  re- 
sorts last  summer,  that  it  drew  the  atten- 
tion of  the  federal  government,  with  the 
result  that  a  similar  nature  guide  service 
will  be  installed  in  the  Yosemite  Valley 
the  coming  summer.  The  Superintendent 
of  National  Parks  has  secured  the  co- 
operation of  the  Fish  and  Game  Commis- 
sion to  the  extent  of  the  commission's 
furnishing  Dr.  II.  G.  Bryant,  who  insti- 
tuted the  work  at  the  Tahoe  resorts,  for 
the  Avork  in  Yosemite.  Dr.  Bryant  will 
be  assisted  by  Dr.  Loye  Holmes  Miller, 
of  the  Southern  Branch  of  the  University 
of  California. 

Evening  lectures  dealing  with  wild  life 
will  be  given  at  the  various  camps  and 
trips  afield  will  be  conducted,  iucludiug 
special  trips  for  children.  Office  hours 
are  to  be  arranged  so  that  questions  re- 
garding natural  history  can  be  answered. 
This  summer  resort  work  offers  a  splendid 
opportunity  for  the  Fish  and  Game  Com- 
mission to  employ  the  educational  method 
in  making  conservationists  out  of  sum- 
mer vacationists.  In  no  other  way  could 
the  commission  come  in  touch  with  so 
large  a  number  of  people  in  so  short  a 
period  of  time. 


IN  MEMORIAM. 

CHESTER   A.  SCROGGS. 

We  regret  to  announce  the  death  of 
Deputy  Chester  A.  Scroggs,  whose 
death  occurred  January  29,  1920,  after 
a  short  illness  at  his  home  in  Loomis, 
Placer  County. 

Deputy  Scroggs  was  appointed 
special  deputy  June  19,  1908,  and  regu- 


lar deputy  September  1,  1911.  He  was 
attached  to  the  Sacramento  Division, 
and  for  three  years  up  to  the  time  of 
his  death  was  in  charge  of  the  launch 
patrol  of  the  district.  By  his  activity 
and  thoroughness  Ue  developed  this 
arm  of  the  service  up  to  its  present 
stage  of  efficiency. 

Chester  Scroggs  was  utterly  fearless 
and  resolute  In  the  discharge  of  his 
duly.  He  believed  the  fish  and  game 
laws  were  placed  on  the  statute  books 
to  be  enforced.  There  was  no  ob- 
stacle or  hindrance  too  great  to  deter 
him  from  his  duty  as  he  understood 
it.  Nothing  co;;ld  deviate  him  from 
his  purpose.  If  he  had  a  fault  it  was 
over-zealousness — if  that  can  be 
termed  a  fault.  He  had  no  censure 
for  any  but  the  slacker  of  duty.  Still 
he  was  fair  and  conscientious  in  his 
dealings  with  violators  with  whom  he 
came  in  contact.  They  both  feared 
and   respected   him. 

At  the  time  of  his  death  he  was 
forty  years  of  age.  He  is  survived  by 
a  widow  and  two  small  children,  a 
boy  and  a  girl,  also  a  sister.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity 
and   the   Order   of    Elks. 

He  is  mourned  by  his  many  friends 
in  private  life  and  his  brother  workers 
on  the  Fish  and  Game  Commission. 


FOREST    NESBITT. 

Deputy  Fish  and  Game  Commis- 
sioner Forest  Nesbitt  died  of  pneu- 
monia at  his  home  in  Salinas,  Friday, 
March  5,  1920,  after  only  a  few  days 
illr-ess  following  a  severe  cold  con- 
tracted   while   on    patrol    duty. 

Mr.  Nesbitt  was  appointed  Deputy 
Fish  and  Game  Commissioner,  Decem- 
Ler  1,  1917,  after  qualifying  by  civil 
service  examination.  During  his  time 
of  service,  he  proved  his  fitness  for 
the  trust  that  was  placed  In  him. 
His  training  under  his  father,  who 
has  been  sheriff  of  Monterey  County 
for  many  years,  gave  him  previous 
experience  that  was  of  the  greatest 
value.  In  every  prosecution  his  fair- 
ness was  apparent.  No  one  was  taken 
into  court  unless  their  guilt  was  cer- 
tain. Believing  in  the  strict  enforce- 
ment of  the  laws  protecting  wild  life, 
his  influence  brought  about  a  better 
compliance  with  the  law  in  every  sec- 
tion  to  which    his  work  took   him. 

To  the  father,  mother  and  wife  and 
others  that  were  near  and  dear  to 
him,  the  Commissioners  and  fellow- 
employees  extend  their  heartfelt  sym- 
pathy. 


66 


cMjIfornia  fish  and  game. 


FOREST    OFFICERS'     REPORTS. 

For  several  years  past  the  Forest  Serv- 
ice has,  through  the  medium  of  annual 
reports  from  each  supervisor,  furnished 
valuable  information  as  to  the  distribution 
and  past  and  prosent  status  of  fish  and 
game.  During  the  coming  year  forest 
officers  are  to  furnish  information  accord- 
ing to  the  following  outline  recently  sub- 
mitted to  them.  As  can  be  seen  the  out- 
line emphasizes  knowledge  as  to  distri- 
bution and  life  history  of  the  more  notable 
species. 

LIFE    HISTORY. 

A.  Big    Game. 

Moose,  elk,  antelope,  mountain  sheep, 
white-tailed  deer,  black-tailed  deer,  black 
and  brown  bear,  silver  tip  or  grizzly  bear. 

Mating  and  breeding  habits,  number  and 
care  of  young,  food  and  range  at  various 
seasons  of  the  year,  condition  and  abund- 
ance, diseases  and  effect  of  climatic  con- 
ditions, rutting  season,  when  young  are 
born,  when  are  horns  shed,  any  other 
information  bearing  upon  the  desirability 
of  the  species  or  its  adaptability  for  ex- 
tension work. 

B.  Game    Birds. 

Ducks  and  geese  and  other  waterfowl,  if 
any;  grouse,  give  exact  species  found; 
quail,  partridge,  pheasants,  ptarmigan, 
etc.  Anything  relative  to  their  breeding 
and  nesting  season  and  habits.  When 
eggs  are  laid  and  number  of  young, 
abundance  or  scarcity. 

C.  Small    Game. 

Rabbits,  tree  squirrels.  Their  relation 
to  forestry  and  value  as  game  animals, 
abundance,  or  scarcity,  need  for  protec- 
tion, if  any. 

D.  Fur   Bearing  Animals. 

Species  found  in  locality,  breeding 
habits,  season  when  fur  is  prime  and 
value.  Any  available  information  as  to 
the  extent  of  the  local  trapping  industry. 
Special   attention  to   beavers. 

E.  Insectivorous   and   Song    Birds. 

List  various  species  found  together 
with  all  interesting  information  at  hand 
concerning  life  history  and  habits. 

F.  Predatory   Animals. 

Wolves,  coyotes,  mountain  lions,  foxes 
(various  species  found),  wild  cats,  lynxes, 
etc.  Specific  cases  of  loss  by  predatory 
animals. 

Damage  done  by  these  species  to  game. 
Abundance  or  scarcity.  Range  and  food 
at  various  seasons.  Any  useful  informa- 
tion in  exterminating  them  not  hitherto 
reported. 

(Note — Several  of  the  species  listed 
may  also  be  discussed  under  Fur  Bearing 
Animals.) 


G.   Predatory    Birds. 

Eagles,  hawks,  etc.,  various  species 
found.  Amount  of  damage  they  do  to 
game  animals  and  birds.  Life  history  and 
habits. 

H.   Fi.sh. 

Trout — ^rainbow,  eastern  brook,  native 
and  others.  Bass — small  and  large  mouth. 
Oilier  game  fish — abundance  or  scarcity  of 
species,  spawning  season,  migration, 
character  of  water  best  adapted  to  each, 
use  of  fish  ladders  and  screens.  Informa- 
tion as  to  any  successful  device  for  screen- 
ing headgates  or  ditches  is  especially  de- 
sired. 

Streams  needing  stocking;  number  of 
fish  needed  for  each,  with  specific  shipping 
instructions.  Cost  to  Forest  Service, 
amount   of   cooperation,    etc. 


DISTRIBUTION. 

In  submitting  the  above  report,  infor- 
mation which  will  extend  the  known 
ranges  of  the  following  mammals  and 
birds  is  very  much  desired.  Below  you 
will  find  a  list  giving  you  a  brief  sum- 
mary of  the  range  of  each  species.  If 
you  locate  definite  records  of  the  occur- 
rence of  any  of  these  birds  or  mammals 
outside  of  the  limits  given,  do  not  fail  to 
submit  evidence.  The  best  evidence  is  a 
specimen.  Ship  specimens  direct  to  II.  C. 
Bryant,  Museum  of  Vertebrate  Zoology, 
Berkeley,  California,  by  express,  carefully 
marked  "specimens  for  scientific  pur- 
poses." We  are  especially  anxious  to  get 
specimens  of  deer  taken  in  San  Luis 
Obispo  and  Santa  Barbara  counties  and 
throughout  the  Sierras  to  outline  more 
accurately  the  range  of  various  species. 
Specimens  should  be  taken  during  the  open 
seasons.  Permits  will  be  issued  on  ap- 
plication for  protected  species. 

White-tailed    Deer. 

Range — Said  to  have  formerly  occurred 
in  extreme  Eastern  and  Northeastern 
(""alifornia,  chiefly  in  the  Modoc  region. 
Many  accounts  by  hunters,  but  no  verified 
or  recent  report. 

Columbian    Black-tailed    Deer. 

Ihiufic — Northwest  coast  region,  chiefly 
in  the  Transition  (yellow  pine  belt)  and 
Boreal  (Lodgepole  pine  belt  upward) 
zones;  cast  throughout  the  inner  coast 
ranges  to  the  Sacramento  Valley,  and  at 
the  north  to  and  including  Mount  Shasta 
and  near  vicinity;  south  to  the  north  side 
of   San   Francisco  Bay. 

Southern    Biack-tailed   Deer. 

Rauffc — Transition  and  high  Upper 
Sonoran     (chapparal    belt)     zones    south 


CALIFORNIA   FISH   AND   GAME. 


67 


from  San  Francisco  Bay  through  the 
Santa  Cruz  district,  at  least  into  Monterey 
and  San  Benito  counties. 

Rocky  Mountain   Mule  Deer. 

Range — Eastern  California,  including 
main  Sierra  Nevada  south  into  Kern 
County  and  north  to  vicinity  of  Mount 
Lassen,  thence  northeast  through  the  Mo- 
doc region.  Western  limit  at  extreme 
north,  Mount  Shasta  (Kowiey,  M.  S.). 
Not  in  the  desert  ranges  east  of  Owens 
Valley  except  in  winter.  Occurs  in  sum- 
mer on  the  high  Sierras  up  to  timberline  ; 
in  winter  most  numerous  in  the  foothills. 

California    Mule    Deer. 

Range — Upper  Sonoran  and  Transition 
zones  of  Southern  California  west  of  the 
desert  proper,  from  the  Mexican  line 
northwest  through  the  San  Diegan  district 
at  least  to  San  Luis  Obispo  County,  and 
east  through  the  Tejon  region  to  the 
Tehachapi  Mountains. 

Desert    Mule    Deer. 

Range — Imperial  Valley. 

Northwestern  Timber  Wolf. 

Range — Northern  California,  and  south 
along  the  Sierra  Nevada.  Now  rare  or 
extinct.  The  number  of  records  (e.  g.. 
Price,  Zoe,  4,  1894,  p.  331)  and  reports 
from  the  region  specified  carries  convic- 
tion that  a  wolf  of  some  form  has  oc- 
curred as  above  indicated.  But  lack  of 
specimens  brings  doubt  as  to  the  race 
represented. 

Sierra    Nevada    Wolverine. 

Range — Boreal  zone  on  the  Sierra  Ne- 
vada, from  the  vicinity  of  Mount  Shasta, 
south  through  Lake  Tahoe  region  to 
Monache  Meadows,  Tulare  County. 

Yellow-haired   Porcupine. 

Range — High  Transition  (yellow  pine 
belt)  and  Boreal  (Lodgepole  pine  belt 
upward)  zones  along  the  Siei-ra  Nevada, 
from  Mount  Shasta  to  the  vicinity  of 
Mount  Whitney. 

Sierra    Grouse. 

Range — Common  resident  of  coniferous 
timber  in  the  upper  Transition  and  Can- 
adian zones  of  northern  California  from 
Mount  Shasta  south  along  the  inner  coast 
ranges  at  least  to  Mount  Sauhedrin,  and 
along  the  Sierra  Nevada  south  through 
the  ^Nlouut  Whituej'  region  to  the  Piute 
Mountains,  Kern  County.  Also  on  the 
Warner  Mountains  of  Modoc  County,  on 
the  White  Mountains,  Mono  County,  and 
on  Mount  Pinos,  Ventura  County. 

KECOED  ANY  KECENT  OCCURBENCE  OF  : 
Grizzly    Bear. 

Columbian    Sharp-tailed    Grouse. 

Former  range — Occurred  formerly  as 
a  fairly  common  resident  on  the  Transi- 
tion plains  of  the  Modoc  region ;  Canoe 
Creek,  .W  miles  northeast  of  Fort  Read- 
ing, and  upper  Pit  River ;  Camp  Bidwell. 


No  information  is  at  hand  confirming  its 
existence  within  the  state  at  the  present 
time. 

Sandhill   Crane. 

(Especially  record  of  nesting.) 

Range — Fairly  common  summer  visitant 
to  the  northward  interiorly ;  at  least  a 
few  winter  in  the  San  Joaquin  Valley. 
Recorded  as  bi'eeding  in  the  northeastern 
corner  of  the  state  ;  summer  records  also 
from  Alpine  Meadows  of  the  Northern 
Sierras  (several  records),  and  from  the 
San  Joaquin  Valley  south  to  the  Tulare 
Lake  region. 

Breeding  of  ducks,  geese  and  jacksnipe 
in  the  Sierra  region. 


A    BILL   TO    ESTABLISH    GAME   SANC- 
TUARIES   IN    NATIONAL    FORESTS. 

With  the  view  that  certain  areas  within 
the  national  forests  may  be  set  apart  as 
game  sanctuaries,  a  bill  was  introduced  in 
the  United  States  Senate  on  June  21, 
1919,  by  Senator  Nelson,  looking  toward 
the  dedication  of  more  of  the  national 
lands  to  conservation  purposes.  The 
national  parks  and  monuments  have  for 
some  time  been  set  apart  as  game  refuges, 
and  the  bill  in  question  would  also  set 
apart  sections  of  the  national  forests  to 
the  preservation  of  our  wild  life.  This 
bill  covers  practically  the  same  points  as 
a  bill  previously  introduced  by  Senator 
Chamberlain,  but  which  never  came  to  a 
vote  by  the  Senate.  The  Nelson  bill 
covers  the  following  propositions  : 

Section  1.  A  federal  law  empowering 
the  secretary  of  agriculture  to  select  areas 
in  national  forests  suitable  for  game 
sanctuaries ;  these  sanctuaries  to  be  es- 
tablished by  presidential  proclamation  but 
with  the  approval  of  the  governor  of  each 
state ;  and  to  be  so  located  that  they  shall 
not  prevent  the  allowing  of  grazing  or 
other  uses  thereof  as  are  in  conformity 
with  the  laws  applicable  to  national 
forests. 

Sec.  2.  Prohibiting  the  hunting  or 
other  destruction  of  game  within  such 
sanctuaries,  except  as  otherwise  in  the  act 
provided,  and  providing  penalties  for  the 
violation  of  such  provision. 

Sec.  3.  Administration  of  the  pro- 
visions of  the  act  to  be  vested  in  the 
secretary  of  agriculture,  with  power  to 
regulate  the  killing  of  predatory  animals. 

Sec.  4.  Providing  for  the  establish- 
ment by  the  secretary  of  agriculture  of 
boundaries  and  for  postings  showing  the 
location  thereof  and  warning  the  public 
of  the  prohibition  of  hunting  therein. 

See.  5.  Setting  forth  the  purposes  of 
the  act :  That  it  is  expedient  to  establish 
a  large  number  of  sanctuaries  of  medium 


68 


CALIFORNIA   FISH   AND   GAME. 


size  rather  than  a  few  large  preserves,  the 
ideal  condition  to  be  a  chain  of  sanct- 
uaries, with  the  view  of  providing  breed- 
ing places  for  game  whicli  will  spread 
over  adjacent  and  intervening  territory. 
where  it  will  be  subject  to  the  regular 
open  season  proNided  by  law. 

There  is  crying  need  for  such  a  lav. 
as  this,  for  millions  of  acres  of  some  of 
our  national  forests  are  utt(Mly  destitute 
of  game,  and  great  opportunities  to 
create  a  vast  annual  supply  of  big  game 
are  being  wasted  by  lack  of  intelligent 
and  resolute  action.  It  is  to  be  sincerely 
hoped  that  this  measure  will  not,  like  the 
Chamberlain  bill,  l;e  allowed  to  slumber 
in  the  archives  of  Congress,  but  that  some 
definite  step  will  be  taken. 

SAN  DIEGO  TO  MAKE  CLEAN  SWEEP 
OF  THE  ENGLISH  SPARROW. 
The  city  of  San  Diego  resolved  that 
she  would  rid  herself  of  ihe  English 
sparrow.  So  in  191G  a  city  ordinance 
was  passed  providing  for  ways  and  means 
for  the  extermination  of  this  pest  and 
appropriating  the  sum  of  .$125  for  such 
purpose.  The  task  of  destroying  spar- 
rows inside  the  city  limits  was  delegated 
to  one  man,  and  ever  since  the  ordinance 
became  effective  he  has  been  on  the  job. 
From  the  first  the  campaign  has  been 
successful  and  the  sparrow  pest  is  now 
not  only  under  control,  but  this  spring 
San  Diego  expects  to  free  herself  entirely 
of  the  sparrow.  The  city  this  j'ear  is  al- 
lowing ten  cents  each  for  every  sparrow 
killed,  up  to  $50,  and  in  addition  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce  is  also  offering 
ten  cents  each  up  to  $30.  The  record  for 
this  year  shows  250  dead  birds,  and  it  is 
estimated  that  there  still  remains  about 
100  sparrows  in  the  city.  It  is  expected 
that  as  soon  as  the  mating  senson  is  well 
under  way  and  the  sparrows  begin  nest- 
ing that  a  clean  sweep  can  be  made  of 
all  those  remaining  birds. 

Other  cities  in  the  state  might  well  fol- 
low the  example  set  by  San  Diego.  Even 
in  cities  where  sparrows  are  far  more 
numerous  the  appropriation  of  a  small 
sum  of  money  and  the  apix)intment  of  an 
energetic  and  ingenious  man  to  carry  on 
the  work  of  destruction  will  lead  to  a 
near  solution  of  the  sparrow  problem.  A 
city  that  can  advertise  itself  with  the 
slogan  "No  house  sparrows  here"  adds 
to  its  reputation — Webb  Toms. 


FISH  PACK,  1919. 
In  this  issue  is  given  a  complete  report 
of  the  canned,  cured  and  manufactured 
fishery  products  of  the  state  for  the  year 
1919  (see  p.  90).  Through  the  coopera- 
tion of  the  packers  throughout  the  state 
it  has  been  possible  to  get  out  the  annual 
pack  more  promptly  as  well  as  more  ac- 
curately and  in  greater  deta",  than  ever 
before. 

The  total  case  pack  of  canned  goods  in 
1919  was  a  trifle  over  42,0lX>  cases  less 
than  in  1918,  while  the  estimated  value 
of  the  1919  pack  is  nearly  $3,000,000 
greater  than  estimated  value  of  the  1918 
pack. • 

During  1919  the  tuna,  albacore  and 
skipjack  pack  was  larger  than  in  the 
Itievious  year,  and  while  the  actual  case 
pack  of  sardines  for  1919  was  less  than 
for  1918,  the  pack  was  of  a  belter  quality. 
During  1919  there  were  only  41,373 
round  cans  of  sardines  packed  as  com- 
pared to  420,905  cases  of  round  cans  for 
the  year  previous. 

The  pack  of  mild  cured  salmon  for  1919 
was  nearly  double  that  of  the  previous 
year.  The  production  of  meal  and  oil 
also  shows  a  large  increase.  At  the  close 
of  1919  we  find  an  increase  of  twelve 
plants,  203  employees  and  over  $2,009,000 
in  valuation  of  plants,  which  shows  the 
healthy  growth  of  the  fish  packing  indus- 
try of  California.— S.  II.  D. 

SPORTSMEN  LAND  MANY  BIG  FISH. 
The  total  number  of  blue-fin  and 
y.'llow-fin  tuna  taken  at  Catalina  Island 
during  1919  was  911,  of  which  3(1 
weighed  over  lOO  pounds  each.  The  total 
number  of  marlin  swordfisfi  was  114. 
\o  biuadbill  swordfish  were  captured,  but 
1  number  of  anglers  reported  unsuccess- 
ful liattles  with  them.  The  prize  for  the 
world's  tuna  taken  on  light  tackle  went 
to  Commodore  James  W.  Jump,  the  fish 
eaught  weigliing  145*  pounds.  The  usual 
awards  have  been  made  by  the  Tuna  Club, 
|)rizes  now  being  olTered  for  such  other 
game  fish  as  swordfish,  wliite  sea  bass, 
bonito  and  dolphin. 

FOREST   OFFICERS   TO    ACT    AS    GAME 
WARDENS. 

By  an  agreement  recently  signed  by  the 
Executive  Oflicer  of  the  California  Fish 
and    Game    Commission    and    the    United 


CALIFORNIA   FISH   AND    GAME. 


69 


States  Forest  Sen-ice,  forest  rangers  will 
act  as  fish  and  game  wardens  and  deputy 
fish  and  game  commissioners  as  forest 
firewardens.  According  to  the  terms  of 
the  agreement  forest  officers  will  enforce 
fish  and  game  laws,  make  arrests,  submit 
reports  and  issue  hunting  and  fishing 
licenses.  The  force  of  game  wardens 
will  therefore  be  greatly  augmented  and 
better  enforcement  of  the  fish  and  game 
laws  is  a  certainty.  The  news  that  for- 
est officers  will  handle  hunting  and  fishing 
licenses  will  be  received  with  pleasure  by 
sportsmen  because  of  the  added  con- 
venience. The  help  of  the  Forest  Service 
in  better  posting  state  game  refuges  will 
be  another  outcome  of  the  cooperation 
planned.  In  return  for  the  services  of  the 
forestry  men,  the  game  wardens  of  the 
state  will  be  deputized  as  forest  fire- 
wardens and  will  help  in  protecting  the 
forests  and  in  developing  the  right  public 
attitude  toward  the  laws  and  regulations 
of  the  national  forests.  There  is  to  be  a 
continuance  of  the  annual  reports  on 
game  conditions  in  the  forests  furnished 
by  the  District  Forester. 

This  cooperation,  which  has  been  care- 
fully worked  out  between  the  United 
States  Forest  Service  and  the  Fish  and 
Game  Commission,  will  make  violation  of 
the  fish  and  game  laws  doubly  difficult 
and  will  do  much  to  develop  a  sentiment 
favoring  game  conservation.  There  fol- 
lows the  agreement  in   full : 

AGREEMENT. 

Tn  oi*d"r  to  secure  closer  cooperation 
wi<h  tho  Fish  and  Game  Commission.  th° 
followiuT  informal  agreement  has  been 
exefnted  : 

Wherens.  th^  wild  life  on  tho  national 
forests  of  California  is  a  product  of  the 
forest  and  a  grent  resourc°.  which  adds 
materiallv  to  eniovment  of  the  national 
forests  by  the  public,  as  well  as  of  great 
economic  value,  its  protection  and  per- 
petuation becomes  n  public  necessity;  and 
_  Whereas,  the  Fish  and  r4nme  Commis- 
sion of  California  is  th<^  dnlv  authori/f^d 
ao-ent  for  the  State  of  California  for  the 
protection  and  pprnetuatinn  of  this  re- 
source, and  the  Di'stvict  Forester  of  the 
Forpst  Service,  United  States  Department 
of  As-riculture.  for  the  D?partment;  now. 
therefore 

In  order  to  coordinate  the  work  of 
these  departments  in  the  protection  of 
e-ame.  fish,  birds,  and  forests  of  California, 
Paul  G.  Redinaton.  District  Forester,  for 
and  on  behalf  of  the  United  States  De- 
partment of  Agriculture,  and  Carl  West- 
erfeld.  Executive  Officer  of  the  Fish  and 
Game  Commission  of  California,  for  and 


on  behalf  of  the  State  of  California,  do 
agree  as  follows : 

1.  That  under  the  state  laws  no  differ- 
entiation can  he  made  between  violators 
of  the  law.  The  law,  therefore,  should 
be  enforced  equally  as  to  all  violators. 

2.  The  forest  officers,  because  of  their 
familiarity  with  the  areas  on  which  a 
large  proportion  of  Ihe  wild  life  in  the 
state  exists,  can  and  should  assist,  by 
their  own  personal  actions  and  attitude, 
in  securing  the  proper  respect  and  en- 
forcement of  the  state  game  laws.  All 
forest  officers  who,  in  the  judgment  of 
the  District  Forester,  can.  because  of  the 
character  of  their  work,  be  of  assistance 
in  the  enforcement  of  the  state  fish  and 
game  laws,  will  be  appointed  by  the  Fish 
and  Game  Commission  of  California  as 
deputy  state  game  wardens.  All  forest 
officers  so  appointed  shall  assume  the  fol- 
lowing prescribed  duties  : 

(a)  Pay  strict  attention  to  the  en- 
forcement of  the  state  fish  and  game 
laws,  and  by  personal  actions  and  atti- 
tude assist  in  creating  the  right  public 
attitude  and  sentiment  toward  the  pro- 
tection of  fish  and  game  within  the 
boundaries  of  national  forests ; 

(b)  Report  all  cases  of  violations  of 
the  fish  and  game  laws  to  the  officer's 
immediate  supervisor,  who  will  in  turn 
report  the  violation  to  the  Fish  and 
Game  Commission  of  California,  San 
Franci^o,  California; 

(c)  Make  arrests  for  violations  of 
the  fish  and  game  laws  committed  with- 
in the  boundaries  of  the  national 
forests ; 

(d)  Furnish  all  information  avail- 
able which  will  assist  officers  of  the 
state  in  apprehending  or  prosecuting 
violators  of  the  fish  and  game  laws, 
whether  such  violation  was  committed 
within  or  outside  the  national  forests; 

(c)  Submit  such  i-eports  as  may  be 
called  for  by  the  District  Forester ; 

(0  Report  misconduct  or  derelic- 
tion of  duty  on  the  part  of  any  state 
official  employed  in  the  enforcement  of 
the  state  fish  and  game  laws  ; 

(g)  Issue  hunting  and  fishing  li- 
censes, receiving  therefor  the  commis- 
sion allowed  by  law. 

3.  The  District  Forester  will  cause  an 
annual  report  to  be  submitted  to  the  Fish 
and  Game  Commission  which  shall  con- 
tain complete  information  as  to  the  pres- 
ent condition  of  wild  life  in  the  national 
forests,  and  plans  for  ths  protection  and 
development  of  fish  and  game  therein.  He 
will  recommend  the  establishment  of  such 
game  refuges  as  seem  necessary,  the 
boundaries  of  which  shall  not  be  changed 
without   his   approval. 

4.  The  Fish  and  Game  Commission  of 
California  will  elect  a  representative  of 
its  commission  to  act  on  behalf  of  the 
Commission  with  the  District  Forester  on 
all  matters  pertaining  to  fish  and  game 
work  on  the  national  forests  of  California. 


70 


CALIFORNIA   FISH    AND   GAME. 


5.  The  duly  authorized  agent  of  the 
Commission  shall  have  power  to  act  upon 
all  reports  and  requests  from  the  District 
Forester,  furnish  upon  requisition  the 
number  of  fish  plants  necessary  to  stock 
streams  within  tlx^  national  forests,  pro- 
vide proper  facilities  for  transport  to 
places  of  destination,  and  i)roperly  super- 
vise shipment  from  hatchery  to  nearest 
railroad  point ;  and  shall  issue  proper 
instructions  to  forest  officers  designated 
to  transport  fish  from  railroad  point  to 
streams,  giving  at  least  two  weeks'  ad- 
vance notice  of  date  of  arrival. 

0.  TTpon  recommendations  from  the 
District  Forester,  deputy  game  wardens 
will  he  appointed  state  fire  wardens,  and 
the  Commission  or  its  duly  authorized 
agent  will  instruct  such  wardens  to  co- 
onerate  with  the  Forest  Service  in  the 
suppression  and  prevention  of  forest 
fires. 

7.  All  deputy  game  wardens  will  pay 
strict  attention  to  the  enforcement  of 
state  fire  laws,  familiarize  themselves 
with  the  regulations  governing  the  use  of 
the  national  forests,  and  by  personal  ac- 
tions and  attitude  assist  in  creating  the 
right  public  attitude  and  sentiment 
toward  these  laws  and  regulations. 

S.  Deputy  state  game  wardens  will  re- 
port, through  the  State  Fish  and  Game 
Commission,  any  misconduct  of  forest  of- 
ficers on  the  dereliction  of  duties  in  the 
enforcement  of  fish  and  game  laws. 

9.  The  Fish  and  Game  Commission  will 
provide  the  necessary  signs,  labor,  and 
material,  for  the  proper  posting  and 
supervision  of  existing  state  game  refuges 
or  those  which  may  hereafter  be  estab- 
lished within  or  adjoining  the  national 
forests. 

10.  Necessary  expenses  of  forest  officers 
in  the  investigation  and  prosecution  of 
fish  and  game  violations  will  be  paid  by 
the  Fish  and  Game  Commission  unon 
properly  certified  accounts  on  forms  fur- 
nished   by   the   Commission. 

11.  Amendments  to  this  agreement  may 
be  proposed  by  either  party  upon  givin^i' 
thirty  days'  notice  to  the  other.  Amend- 
ments shall  become  operative  immediatelv 
after  they  have  been  adopted  by  both 
parties. 

12.  Tt  is  mutually  understood  and 
agreed  that  this  agreement  shall  terminate 
at  th'^  end  of  any  fiscal  year  in  the  event 
that  Consrress  shall  fail  to  make  an  api>ro- 
priation  for  the  ensuing  fiscal  year. 

BIRD  PROTECTION  SOCIETIES. 
Due  credit  must  be  given  associations 
of  bird  lovers,  such  as  the  Audubon 
societies,  for  initiating  many  of  the  cam- 
paigns which  have  brought  about  better 
protection  for  wild  birds.  The  National 
Association  of  Audubon  Societies  was  the 
pioneer  in  the  establishment  of  reserva- 
tions where  birds  are  protected  the  year 
round.     The  laws  protecting   the  sale  of 


bird   plumage  were  also  initiated  by   the 
National  Audubon  Association. 

There  are  at  present  in  the  State  of 
California  two  active  bird  organizations 
of  this  type,  the  California  Audubon 
Society,  with  a  large  membership  in 
Southern  California,  and  the  Audubon 
Association  of  the  Pacific,  with  a  mem- 
bership in  the  San  Francisco  Ray  region. 
The  latter  organization,  which  is  but  a 
few  years  old,  has  been  doing  some  splen- 
did work  among  juveniles  by  organizing 
junior  Audubon  societies  and,  by  stimu- 
lating rTird  study  among  the  Boy  Scout 
organizations.  It  is  also  actively  carry- 
ing on  an  educational  campaign  through 
the  medium  of  a  small  monthly  periodical 
known  as  "The  Gull."  which  is  now  in  its 
second  volume.  Besides  conveying  infor- 
mation regarding  the  monthly  meetings 
and  monthly  field  trips,  "The  Gull"  has 
contained  a  number  of  interesting  articles 
relating  to  bird  protection  and  many 
notes  of  the  occurrence  of  rare  species  of 
birds.  This  latest  addition  to  organized 
bird  study,  the  Audubon  Association  of  the 
Pacific,  under  the  active  leadership  of  its 
president.  Mr.  C.  B.  Lastreto,  is  carrying 
out  both  lines  of  endeavor  expressed  in 
its  aims — the  study  and  protection  of 
birds. 

GAME  ABUNDANT  IN  EARLY  DAYS. 

Tn  an  article  appearing  in  "The  Auk," 
volume  37,  page  35,  entitled  "In  Mem- 
oriam  :  Lyman  Belding,"  Dr.  A.  K.  Fisher 
says  of  this  pioneer  ornithologist,  in  con- 
nection w'ith  the  subject  of  the  abundance 
of  game  in  California  in  early  days : 

lie  went  to  Stockton  in  March.  1S5C, 
and  of  p-.nme  seen  here  and  in  other  parts 
of  California  he  savs:  "Game  was 
abundant,  including  elk,  antelope,  deer, 
bear,  otter,  quail,  and  waterfowl.  Elk 
have  disappeared  from  the  interior  val- 
levs  of  the  state  evcenting  a  drove  on 
the  Miller  and  Lux  Itancb  of  fortv  thou- 
sand acres  in  the  San  .Toaquin  Yallev,  and 
tliese  animals  are  being  captured  and 
distributed  to  various  parks.  The  elk 
of  this  state  inhabited  the  tule  marshes 
mainly,  though  I  have  seen  many  elk 
horns  in  the  Marysville  Buttes,  probably 
left  there  bv  elk  which  came  from  the 
marshes  of  Butte  Creek,  and  I  have  seen 
hundreds,  if  not  thousands,  of  elk  horns 
on  the  border  of  the  tnle  swanips  north 
of  Stockton.  Antelope  have  entirelv  dis- 
appeared from  the  Sacramento  and  San 
.Toaquin  vallevs.  I  saw  three  in  the  lat- 
ter valley  a  few  milos  west  of  Princeton 
in  the  summer  of  1870  and  a  single  one  in 


CALIFORNIA   FISH   AND    GAME, 


71 


Lower  California  about  twenty-five  miles 
soutii  of  Tia  Juana  in  the  spring  of  1887. 
Deer  were  mostly  in  the  mountains,  with 
a  few  along  the  rivers  where  there  were 
extensive  thickets  on  bottom  lands.  They 
will  continue  to  be  common  with  proper 
protection." 

SURE  PUNISHMENT  METED  OUT  TO 
VIOLATORS  OF  MIGRATORY  BIRD 
TREATY    ACT. 

There  was  a  time  when  violators  of  the 
migratory  bird  treaty  act  depended  upon 
escaping  punishment  through  a  trial  in 
their  own  county  by  a  jury  often  com- 
posed of  friends  and  acquaintances,  under 
which  procedure  dismissals  reached  a 
large  percentage  of  the  number  of  arrests. 
Howevei",  this  is  all  changed  now ;  for 
since  July,  1918,  the  power  to  enforce 
this  law  has  been  vested  in  the  Bureau 
of  Biological  Survey,  of  the  United 
States  Department  of  Agriculture,  and 
instead  of  a  trial  in  the  state  court  in 
his  own  county,  the  violator  is  brought 
into  the  federal  court,  where,  removed 
from  his  sphere  of  local  influence,  he 
meets  certain  punishment.  Here  in  Cali- 
fornia, in  the  district  known  as  the  "duck 
country"  of  the  Sacramento  Valley,  com- 
posed of  the  counties  of  Yolo,  Sutter, 
Glenn,  Colusa  and  Butte,  prior  to  1918 
the  number  of  dismissals  reached  about 
sixty  per  cent  of  the  number  of  arrests. 
But  m  that  year  the  ari*est  and  conviction 
in  the  federal  court  of  four  of  the  most 
persistent  violators  with  a  substantial 
fine  of  $100  each,  produced  a  very  de- 
pressing effect  upon  chronic  violators,  and 
the  sentiment  has  changed  to  such  an  extent 
that  the  violator  usually  begs  to  be 
allowed  to  plead  guilty  in  the  state  court 
rather  than  be  taken  before  the  federal 
authorities.  This  certainty  of  punish- 
ment of  violators,  in  the  "duck  country" 
alone,  resulted  during  the  period  from 
October  6,  1918.  to  January  31,  1919 
(almost  four  months),  in  20  arrests,  no 
dismissals,  and  fines  aggregating  $705 ; 
and  during  the  period  from  October  15, 
1919,  to  December  G,  1919  (less  than  two 
months),  in  2.3  arrests,  no  dismissals,  and 
fines  aggregating  $625.  At  first  glance, 
owing  to  the  greater  number  of  arrests 
recorded  for  the  latter  period,  it  might 
seem  that  violations  were  on  the  increase 
during  1919,  but  this  is  not  necessarily 
true.     When  it  is  remembered  that  since 


1918  all  United  States  deputy  wardens 
also  became  state  deputies,  the  increase 
in  the  number  of  arrests  can  no  doubt  be 
traced  to  the  fact  that  the  patrol  service 
has  become  greatly  augmented  and  more 
violations  detected. 

And  it  is  not  only  in  California  that 
the  migratory  bird  treaty  act  is  being 
more  stringently  enforced.  Five  hundred 
dollai-s,  the  maximum  fine,  was  recently 
levied  by  a  judge  in  Michigan  against  a 
hunter  for  selling  thirty-two  ducks  in 
violation  of  the  act.  Another  violator  of 
the  same  law,  in  Connecticut,  who  had 
been  guilty  of  repeated  offenses,  was 
sentenced  to  three  months  in  jail.  This 
offender  was  not  given  the  alternative  of 
paying  a  fine.  This  growth  in  the  num- 
ber of  convictions  and  enlargement  of 
fines  through  the  country  shows  the  in- 
creasing concern  with  which  the  courts 
regard  violations  of  this  important  statute, 
designed  to  protect  migratory,  insectivor- 
ous and  nongame  birds. 

NAVAL    AIR    STATION     FISH     PATROL 
OPENS    IDLE    CANNERIES. 

It  will  be  of  interest  to  know  that  the 
fish  canneries  of  Southern  California  had 
been  idle  for  four  months  until  the  in- 
auguration of  the  Naval  Air  Station  Fish 
Patrol.  This  service  was  instituted  dur- 
ing the  latter  part  of  December,  1919,  in 
accordance  with  an  agreement  between 
the  Naval  Air  Station  at  San  Diego  and 
the  Fish  and  Game  Commission,  whereby 
seaplanes  were  to  sight  schools  of  fish, 
wire  back  the  direct  location-  to  the  naval 
station,  which  then  would  telephone  the 
information  to  the  San  Diego  office  of  the 
Fish  and  Game  Commission,  which  oflSce 
in  turn  would  immediately  notify  all 
canners  and  fishermen. 

As  a  result  of  the  first  day's  radio 
report  locating  schools  of  sardines,  fish- 
ing fleets  were  able  to  procure  large 
quantities  of  sardines,  and  since  that  time 
have  been  canning  continuously,  despite 
the  fact  that  canneries  previously  had 
been  idle  for  four  months.  Everyone  in- 
terested in  the  industry  is  aware  that  the 
best  and  finest  fish  are  found  in  deep 
waters,  and  fishermen  hesitate  going  to 
uncertain  fields  on  account  of  loss  of  time. 
But  now  the  seaplane  locates  the  schools 
and  they  are  no  longer  a  prospect,  but  a 
certainty. 


72 


CALIFORNIA    FISH    AND    GAME. 


Genuine  sardines  are  found  only  in 
California  waters  and  those  of  Southern 
Europe,  and  the  industry  in  California 
has  made  great  progress  in  the  past  three 
years  and  bids  fair  to  become  the  sardine 
canning  center  of  the  world.  And  now 
with  the  immeasurable  value  of  the  Naval 
Fish  Patrol  service  a  proven  fact,  it  would 
seem  that  nothing  could  stand  in  the  way 
of  this  development.  And  although  the 
seaplanes  have  been  so  successful  in  locat- 
ing schools  of  sardines,  it  is  anticipated 
that  they  will  be  of  still  greater  value  in 
locating  schools  of  large  fish  such  as  tuna, 
albacore,  yellowtail,  ambt^rfish,  etc., 
which  are  found  farther  from  shore  and 
run  from  early  spring  to  late  fall. 

Reports  of  some  of  the  flights  made 
have  revealed  to  cauners  the  fact  that 
seaplane  sendee  is  really  of  as  much  a 
uecossity  to  the  fish  and  canning  industry 
as  fishing  fleets  or  canning  machinery,  and 
it  is  the  concensus  of  opinion  that  this 
fish  palrol  service  must  be  continued. 
Here  are  a  few  of  the  reports : 

I.  Installed  in  cockpit- -Hydroplane 
II.  S.  2  L.,  as  observer.  Lieutenant  E.  P. 
McKellar,  pilot.  Third  occupant,  wireless 
operator.  Took  flight  promptly  2  p.m. 
Followed  leading  hydroplane  containing 
Lieutenant  Linkins  as  ofiicUil  observer. 
Atmosphere  fairly  clear — slight  haze,  no 
clouds,  sun  rays  direct,  fairly  stiff  wind. 
Judged  altitude  plane  our  flight  five  to 
seven  hundred  feet.  Altitude  leading 
hydroplane  considerable  less.  Flew  north- 
northwest  to  area  four,  square  seventy- 
three,  which  is  west  by  north,  off  the 
coast  of  La  Jolla  about  five  miles  and 
about  twenty  miles  from  San  Diego  by 
direct  line.  In  this  area  of  approximately 
Ion  miles  square,  we  covered  the  course 
in  serpentine  fashion  fi'om  south  to  north 
and  return,  from  east  to  west  and  return. 
Neither  on  our  flight  to  this  area,  nor  in 
this  area,  did  either  crew  discover  a  school 
of  fish. 

II.  In  this  area,  however,  saw  on  four 
separate  and  distinct  occasions,  at  inter- 
vals and  in  different  locations,  one  single 
fish  on  each  occasion.  From  our  altitu'^e, 
their  depth  in  the  water  could  not  ba 
definitely  determined,  nor  could  the  size 
or  species.     Taking  into  cons'deration  the 


effect  of  light  upon  and  through  water, 
the  magnifying  effect  of  clear  water,  the 
silvery  scintillating  sheen  of  fish  scales 
on  a  moving  object  in  clear  water  on  a 
bright  day,  subtract  our  elevation ;  con- 
cluded these  fish  to  be  medium  sized  bass 
or  yellowtail,  although  the  persi)ective  of 
distance  made  them  appear  in  the  size  of 
a  large  sardine. 

HI.  The  area  thoroughly  patrolled,  we 
followed  the  leading  hydroplane  east  by 
south  to  the  shore  line  above  and  off  the 
coast  of  La  Jolla.  In  the  cove  off  La 
Jolla  the  leading  hydroplane  sighted  three 
small  schools  of  sardines.  The  informa- 
tion was  immediately  radioed  to  North 
Island,  and  all  canneries  had  the  benefit 
of  this  discovery  within  ten  to  twenty 
minutes   thereafter. 

IV.  Still  following  the  leading  hydro- 
plane, which  was  flying  low,  we  proceeded 
east  by  south,  following  the  shore  line 
about  one-quartor  to  three-quarters  of  a 
mile  off  shore:  our  altitude  about  GOO 
feet.  Here  we  were  again  forcibly  im- 
pressed by  the  discovery  of  the  intense 
visibility  possible  from  this  height,  to  the 
depths  under  the  surface  of  the  water. 
The  topography  of  the  bottom  of  the 
ocean  was  plainly  and  distinctly  clear  to 
vision,  as  well  as  all  plant  life  and  forma- 
tions, this  being  in  many  instances  three- 
quarters  of  a  mile  off  shore.  The  depth 
of  the  water  we  had  no  way  of  estimating, 
but  to  hazard  a  guess  would  say  it  was 
anywhere  fi'om  forty  to  sixty  feet  in 
depth. 

V.  We  crossed  the  channel  and 
entrance  to  San  Diego  Baj',  continuing 
flight  over  a  great  portion  of  Coronado 
Bay,  where  again  were  impressed  with 
the  intense  visibility  through  this  water, 
which  is  not  nearly  as  clear  as  the  pure 
ocean  streams  and  currents.  Regardless 
of  its  muddy  and  murky  appearance,  it 
was  possible  to  see  the  bed  of  that  bay 
for  great  distances.  The  value  of  this 
fact  should  immediately  impress  itself  on 
one ;  for  this  bay  is  one  of  the  largest  and 
most  favored  feeding  grounds  of  the  sar- 
dine when  in  season. 

VI.  We  proceeded,  returned  to  our 
starting  point  at  4  p.m.,  elapsed  time, 
two  hours. 


CALIFORNIA   FISH   AND   GAME.  73 


FACTS  OF  CURRENT  INTEREST. 

Two  Italians  of  Tbomton,  San  Jo^onin  Countv,  were  recently 
arrested  for  using  a  gill  net  on  the  Mokelumne  River,  where  such 
fishing  is  illegal.  These  men  wJeaded  p-uilty  in  court  on  January  29 
and  were  fined  $250  each  by  Judge  Barber. 


During  the  season  of  1919.  30.83P  000  fish,  mo^tlv  salmon  and  t^-out, 
weT-e  reared  ?nd  distributed  from  the  twe^t'T'-two  hatcheries  and  eQ;g 
collectino-  stations  operated  by  the  California  Fish  and  Game 
Commission. 


State  Lion  Hunter  Jav  Bruce  has  been  suf^^essful  in  reducing  the 
number  of  lions  in  the  large  game  refuge  in  Santa  Barbara  and  Ven- 
tura counties. 


Beavers  have  become  so  abundant  on  the  Merced  River  near  Snelling 
that  damage  to  agricultural  interests  have  resulted  and  sr)ecial  "oer- 
mission  has  been  granted  to  the  parties  injured  to  reduce  their  number. 


Whistling  Swans  (Olor  coin  whin  mis)  have  again  been  numerous 
in  this  state  the  past  winter  <'1919-20).  i^lthough  frequenting  the 
fresh  waters  of  the  interior  vpllevs  as  a  rule,  this  year  they  have  been 
seen  in  considerable  numbers  in  Bodega  and  Tomales  bays  and  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Salinas  River. 


Of  the  4500  commercial  fishermen  in  California  29  ner  cent  are 
natives  of  Ja,T>an.  27  per  cent  are  natives  of  the  United  States,  and 
26  per  cent  of  Italy. 


Despite  the  fact  that  the  v/hale  is  a  mammal  and  not  a  fish,  the 
Board  of  United  States  General  Appraisers  have  decided  in  a  test 
case  that  canned  whale  meat  is  fish  and  is  subject  to  duty. 


Although,  lare-e  numbers  of  herrinfr  were  cantured  in  Richardson's 
Bay  last  year  (1919)  and  canned  at  Pittsburg,  thus  far  this  year  they 
have  failed  to  appear. 


The  American  merganser  has  been  rer)orted  in  unusual  numbers  at 
numerous  places  along  the  Calif omian  coast.  Specimens  have  been 
taken  at  San  Diego,  and  large  numbers  seem  to  be  wintering  in  cer- 
tain localities  in  San  Francisco  Bay,  as  for  instance,  near  San  Rafael. 


74 


CALIFORNIA   FISH   AND    GAME. 


HATCHERY  NOTES. 

W.  H.  Shebley,  Editor. 


FISH    DISTRIBUTION,    1919. 

During  the  season  of  lOiy  the  opera- 
tions of  the  Department  of  Fishculture 
were  more  extensive  than  during  any 
previous  year  of  the  Department's  activ- 
ity. The  actual  number  of  fish  distributed 
was  not  as  great,  perhaps,  as  during  some 
of  the  past  years,  but  the  fry  were  given 
a  more  careful  and  a  wider  distribution 
than  ever  before. 

The  procedure  of  disti'ibutiou  of  fish  by 
the  fish  distributing  cars  previously  has 
been  to  deliver  the  fish  to  the  various 
applicants  at  the  designat.->d  railroad 
station,  and  for  the  applicants  to  attend 
to  all  of  the  work  of  actually  planting  the 
fish.  In  a  great  many  instances  this 
plan  resulted  in  more  or  less  serious 
losses  of  fish  due  to  the  inexperience  of 
those  handling  them.  A  plan  was  adopted 
this  season  whereby  a  trained  assistant 
was  detailed  to  leave  the  fish  car  at  the 
point  of  delivery  and  assist  the  applicants 
in  planting  the  fish.  Necessarily,  it  was 
not  possible  for  a  special  messenger  to 
accompany  every  lot  of  fish  planted,  but 
an  effort  was  made  to  send  someone  with 
every  large  consignment,  where  the  trans- 
portation and  planting  of  the  fish  was  at 


all  difficult  and  when  the  applicants  were 
inexperienced  in  fish  planting. 

Many  of  the  applicants,  who  have  been 
receiving  trout  fry  from  the  Commission 
for  planting  in  different  sections  of  the 
state  for  several  years  past,  are  experi- 
enced in  the  work  and  no  assistance  from 
this  Department,  in  the  actual  planting 
work,  is  necessary.  In  order  to  carry  on 
this  work  it  was  necessary  to  employ 
several  extra  messengers  for  the  dis- 
tribution cars,  but  it  is  felt  that  the  results 
obtained  fully  justify   the  extra   expense. 

The  accompanying  table  shows  the  dis- 
tribution of  the  different  species  of  trout 
fiy  and  salmon  from  the  various  hatch- 
eries. 

It  will  be  noted  that  fish  were  dis- 
tri])nted  from  sixteen  hatcheries.  In 
addition  to  these  hatcheries  six  egg  col- 
lecting stations,  from  which  no  distribu- 
tion of  fry  was  made,  were  operated. 
Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  altogether  dur- 
ing the  season  of  1919  the  Department  of 
Fishculture  operated  twenty-two  hatch- 
eries and  egg  collecting  stations  and 
distributed  in  the  waters  of  California 
30,830,000  fish. 


Fish    Distribution,  Season  1919. 


Hatcheries 


Rainbow 


Eastern 
Brook 


Loch 
Leven 


748,000 


Bear   Lake   

Brookdale 

Clear  Creek  157,000 

Domingo  Springs  220,000 

Fall  Creek '     670,000 

Fort  Ssward 234,000 


Black 
Spotted 


Steelhead 


Golden 


8,500  I. 


849,000 
116,000 


Kaweah  

Mount   Shasta   

Mount  Tallac  

Mount  Whitney  

North  Creek 

Snow  Mountain  

Tahoe    

Ukiah 

Wawona  155,000 

Yosemite    I     191,500 


239,500    

2,468,500     1,070,000     2,746,000 

51,000  L— — . 

1,023,000  i       93,000  j     136,000 

810,000    


93,000 


.— 538.000  : 

46,000  98.000    

87,000  1,411,500  ' 

635.000  185,000    

402,000  474,000  I     450,000 


..- 250,000  L- 

351,000    234,650 

600.000    

I     100,000    

99,700         9S,60O    


Totals 


7,063,500    1,171,500 


Brown 


320,000 


2,882,700    1,670,700     4,718,100       684,650  •      320,000 


Grand  total,  trout - ' ' 18.510,450 

Grand  total,  salmon ! ' 12,326  200 

Total  of  grand  totals ; I ' 30,836,630 


CALIFORNIA   FISH    AND   GAME. 


75 


Furthei'inore  a  great  deal  of  construc- 
tion and  improvement  work  was  under- 
taken at  the  various  stations  and  under 
favorable  climatic  conditions,  during  the 
coming  season  more  trout  and  salmon  fry 
than  has  ever  before  been  possible  can  be 
handled.  This  will  make  it  possible  to 
meet  the  ever  growing  demand  for  more 
and  more  fish  for  stocking  the  streams 
and  lakes  of  practically  every  section  of 
the  state. 

WOUNT  SHASTA   HATCHERY. 

A  total  of  8,102,000  trout  fry  were 
distributed  in  streams  of  northern  and 
central  California  from  the  Mount  Shasta 
Hatchery  during  the  season  by  the  two 
fish  distributing  cars.  The  work  of  dis- 
tributing the  fish  was  carried  on  from 
June  23,  when  the  first  carload  left  the 
hatchery,  until  October  11,  when  the  last 
of  the  fry  were  planted. 

In  addition  to  the  propagaliou  of  trout 
at  the  Mount  Shasta  Hatchery,  the  salmon 
cultural  operations  were  given  careful 
attention  this  season.  The  take  of 
quinnat  salmon  eggs  at  the  United  States 
Bureau  of  Fisheries  stations  at  Mill  Creek 
and  Battle  Creek  was  not  as  large  as  had 
been  expected,  and  therefore  as  great  a 
number  of  eggs  as  usual  was  not  received. 
The  take  of  eggs  at  our  own  Klamathon 
egg  collecting  station,  located  on  the 
Klamath  River,  was  also  small.     Especial 


attention  was  given  the  fry  resulting  from 
the  eggs  received.  The  fish  '.vere  fed  and 
held  in  the  hatching  boxes  as  long  as  it 
was  possible  to  give  them  the  proper  atten- 
tion and  6,593,000  were  then  planted  in 
the  upper  reaches  of  the  tributaries  of 
the  Sacramento  River  in  the  vicinity  of 
Sisson,  from  Februai-y  28  to  May  13,  as 
conditions  for  their  liberation  were 
favorable. 

Three  and  one-half  million  salmon  fry 
were  then  transferred  to  our  three  large 
salmon  rearing  lakes  where  they  were 
retained  throughout  the  summer.  They 
developed  rapidly  under  the  favorable 
conditions  obtaining  therein  and  when 
they  were  liberated,  during  the  latter  part 
of  October,  they  were  in  perfect  condition 
to  commence  their  long  journey  to  the 
sea. 

Since  the  construction  of  hatchery  A, 
the  main  building  at  the  Mount  Shasta 
Hatchery,  in  1909-10,  the  hatchery 
troughs  have  never  been  renewed.  Many 
of  them  were  in  very  poor  condition,  and 
it  was  deemed  absolutely  essential,  that 
the  old  boxes  be  removed  and  new  ones 
put  in.  Accordingly  the  materials  were 
ordered  and  on  the  ground  by  the  time  the 
last  of  the  fish  were  taken  out  and  the 
construction  and  installation  of  the  new 
troughs  was  immediately  commenced. 
The  crew  has  been  engaged  in  this  work 
practically   all   winter  and   by   the  begin- 


FiG.   26.     LJear  Lake  Hatchery,  San  Bernardino  County,  California. 

M.  K.  Spauldlng,  November,  1919. 


Photographed  by 


76 


CALIFORNIA   FISH    AND   GAME. 


ning  of  the  1920  fish  cultural  season  the 
new  troughs  will  be  ready  for  the  recep- 
tion of  the  eggs.  Various  other  repairs  to 
buildings  and  grounds  have  been  made 
during  the  fall  and  winter  mouths,  and 
all  is  in  readiness  for  the  beginning  of  the 
season's   operations. 

KLAMATHON   STATION. 

During  the  late  summer  of  1918  the 
Klamathon  egg  collecting  station  was 
taken  over  by  the  California  Fish  and 
Game  Commission  from  the  United  States 
Bureau  of  Fisheries  and  arrangements 
were  made  to  operate  the  station  that 
fall.  Over  one  million  eggs  were  taken 
and  these  were  immediately  shipped  to 
the  new  Fall  Creek  Hatcherj\ 

Puring  the  fall  of  1919  this  station 
was  prepared  to  operate  at  full  capacity. 
Nearly  five  million  eggs  were  taken  despite 
the  extreme  drought,  which  materially 
affected  the  run  of  quinnat  salmon  in  the 
ivlamath  River.  Had  we  received  the 
usual  amount  of  rainfall  in  that  section 
during  the  months  of  October  and  Novem- 
ber, the  take  of  eggs  would  have  been 
greatly  in  excess  of  the  number  obtained. 
The  eggs  were  transferred  immediately 
after  spawning  to  Mount  Shasta  and  Fall 
Creek  hatcheries. 

FALL    CREEK    HATCHERY. 

Fall  Creek  Hatchery  was  operated  for 
the  first  time  during  the  season  of  1919. 
The  quinnat  salmon  eggs  received  from 
the  Klamathon  Station  were  hatched  and 
reared  to  a  suitable  age,  when  500,000 
were  distributed  in  Fall  Creek,  a  tribu- 
tary of  the  Klamath  River,  during  the 
month  of  :May.  The  balance  of  050,000 
were  held  in  the  rearing  ponds  through- 
out the  summer  and  distributed  during 
the  months  of  September  and  October. 
These  fish,  like  the  ones  retained  in  the 
salmon  lakes  at  the  Mount  Shasta  Hatch- 
ery, were  in  excellent  condition  when 
planted. 

BOGUS   CREEK   STATION. 

All  of  the  rainbow  trout  eggs  taken  at 
r>ogus  and  Camp  creeks  were  "eyed"  at 
the  Fall  Creek  Hatchery.  Seven  hundred 
thousand  were  hatched  at  this  station 
and  reared  for  distribution  in  tributaries 
of  the  Klamath  River,  both  above  and 
below  the  dam  of  the  California  Oregon 


I'ower  Company,  at  Copco.  The  balance 
of  the  "eyed"  eggs  were  shipped  to  the 
Mount   Shasta   Hatchery. 

COTTONWOOD    CREEK    STATION. 

During  the  spring  of  1919  the  Cotton- 
wood Creek  egg  collecting  station  near 
Ilorubrook  was  operated  and  an  extensive 
survey  made  of  the  creek  with  reference 
to  the  run  of  rainbow  trout  ascending 
the  stream  to  spawn,  with  the  idea  of 
installing  more  suitalile  and  permanent 
equipment  for  egg  collecting  operations. 
The  investigations  and  the  result  of  the 
season's  operations  demonstrated  the 
value  of  the  site,  and  accordingly  a  suit- 
able lease  was  arranged  and  adequate 
facilities  for  handling  the  spawning  trout 
during  the  coming  spring  installed. 

MOUNT    WHITNEY    HATCHERY. 

The  operations  at  Mount  Whitney 
Hatchery  for  the  season  were  brought  to 
a  close  during  the  latter  part  of  October. 
On  Seijtember  the  first,  fish  distribution 
cu"  No.  01,  was  detached  from  fish  dis- 
tributing work  at  the  Mount  Shasta 
Hatchery  and  commenced  the  distribution 
from  IVfount  AVhitney  Hatchery.  The 
waters  of  Southern  California  were  prac- 
tically all  stocked  from  the  Mount  Whit- 
ney Hatchery  this  season.  Consignments 
of  fish  were  shipped  to  Fresno,  Inyo, 
Kex'n,  Los  Angeles,  Madera,  Mariposa, 
INIono,  Riverside,  San  Diego,  San  Luis 
Obispo,  Santa  Barbara,  Tulare  and  Van- 
tura  counties.  This  was  the  most  ex- 
tensive distribution  ever  made  from  the 
Mount  Whitney  Hatchery. 

Cottonwood  Lakes  station  was  operated 
and  a  new  record  was  established  for 
that  station,  965,000  golden  trout  eggs 
being  taken.  All  of  the  eggs  were  im- 
mediately transported  by  pack  train  over 
the  mountain  passes  to  the  Mount  Whit- 
ney Hatchery  as  soon  as  they  were 
spawned,  where  they  were  "eyed."  A 
large  consignment  of  the  "eyed"  eggs  was 
shipped  to  the  Tahoe  Hatchery  and  the 
balance  were  hatched  and  reared  for  dis- 
tribution in  the  streams  and  lakes  of  the 
High  Sierras,  which  were  snitable  for 
them. 

Two  and  one-half  million  trout  fry  were 
distributed  from  Mount  Whitney 
Hatchery  this  season.  All  of  the  fry 
l>lanted    were    fine,    large    fish    and    the 


CALIFORNIA   FISH   AND   GAME. 


77 


results  of  the  season's  planting  to  the 
waters  of  southern  California  should  be 
productive  of  some  excellent  tishing  for 
the    sportsmen    during    the    coming   year. 

TAHOE    HATCHERY. 

The  hatchery  at  Tahoe  City  received 
shipments  of  rainbow,  black-spotted  an  1 
golden  trout  eggs  from  the  various  egg 
collecting  stations  and  a  total  of  over 
G50,OUO  fry,  of  these  three  species,  were 
distributed  in  the  water  of  the  Tahoe 
Basin  and  other  streams  of  El  Dorado, 
Nevada  and  Sierra  counties.  During  the 
month  of  October  a  consignment  of  25,00€ 
golden  trout  frj'  were  shipped  to  the 
Yosemite  Valley  from  Tahoe  Hatchery. 

MOUNT    TALLAC    HATCHERY. 

The  egg  collecting  operations  at  Mount 
Tallac  Hatchery  last  spring  were  not  as 
successful  as  usual,  owing  to  adverse  con- 
ditions of  weather  at  Lake  Tahoe  during 
the  early  spring  months.  The  crew 
reached  the  spawning  station  during  the 
middle  of  March,  but  it  was  April  14th 
before  the  first  eggs  were  taken.  Two 
million  black-spotted  trout  eggs  were 
taken  during  the  season  and  these  were 
"eyed"  and  shipments  of  eggs  were  sent  to 
Mount  Shasta,  Mount  Whitney,  Tahoe, 
[vawoah  aud  Yosemite  hatcheries.  Nearly 
TOO.OOO  black-spotted  eggs  were  hatched 
at  the  Mount  Tallac  Hatchery  aud  were 
distributed  together  with  rainbow  and 
steelhead  trout  fry  in  the  waters  of  Al- 
pine, El  Dorado  and  Placer  counties. 

FORT    SEWARD    HATCHERY. 

A  million  quinnat  salmon  eggs  were 
hatched  at  Fort  Seward  Hatchery  during 
the  spring  of  1919  aud  the  resulting  fry 
were  distributed  in  the  Eel  River  and 
tributaries,  Mad  River  and  the  tributaries 
of  Humboldt  Bay.  Rainbow,  eastern 
brook  and  steelhead  trout  eggs  were 
shipped  to  the  Fort  Sewaul  Hatchery 
during  April  and  iNIay  aud  these  were 
hatched  and  reared  during  the  spring  and 
early  summer  months.  A  total  of  770,000 
trout  fry  were  distributed  in  the  streams 
of  Humboldt  and  Trinity  counties  during 
July  and  August. 

As  soon  as  the  fry  were  distributed 
extensive  improvement  work  at  the  sta- 
tion was  commenced.  The  site  of  the 
hatchery  is  very  isolated  and  great  diffi- 


culty has  been  experienced  in  keeping 
assistants  employed  at  the  station.  The 
living  quartei's  for  the  men  have  been 
very  poor  and  it  was  essential  that  some- 
Lhiug  be  done  to  improve  conditions,  if 
the  station  was  to  be  kept  in  operation. 
Accordingly  arrangements  were  made  to 
improve  the  superintendent's  dwelling  and 
two  plain,  but  comfortable,  little  cottages 
were  put  up  for  the  assistants  and 
equipped  with  necessary  furniture  for 
housekeeping. 

UKIAH    HATCHERY. 

A  larger  number  of  steelhead  trout  fry 
were  reared  at  Ukiah  Hatchery  for  dis- 
tribution in  the  streams  of  that  section 
than  have  been  handled  during  former 
seasons.  A  total  of  G0O,00O  trout  fry 
were  distributed  in  Mendocino  and 
Sonoma  counties  during  the  summer.  In 
the  spring  months  practically  all  of  the 
pggs  taken  at  Snow  Mountain  Station 
were  "eyed"  at  Ukiah  and  the  results 
obtained  were  very  satisfactory. 

SNOW    MOUNTAIN    STATION, 

During  the  spring  of  1919,  5,400,000 
steelhead  trout  eggs  were  collected  at  the 
Snow  Mountain  Station.  Had  it  not  been 
for  the  failure  of  the  water  supply  and 
inadequate  facilities  for  handling  spawn- 
ing trout  in  the  holding  pens  in  the  late 
spring,  when  the  water  became  very 
warm,  a  much  greater  number  of  eggs 
could  have  been  taken.  A  quarter  of  a 
million  steelhead  eggs  were  hatched  at 
the  Show  Mountain  Station  and  dis- 
tributed in  the  tributaries  of  Eel  River. 
During  the  past  month  a  crew  of  men 
at  the  Snow  Mountain  Station  have  been 
engaged  in  building  new  holding  pens  and 
making  improvements  and  repairs  to  the 
station,  that  will  improve  the  handling 
of  the  fish  during  the  coming  season. 

BROOKDALE    HATCHERY. 

Brookdale  Hatchery  was  operated  the 
same  as  usual  during  the  season  of  1919, 
the  steelhead  eggs  received  from  Scott 
Creek  being  "eyed"  for  shipment  to  other 
stations,  with  the  exception  of  850,000 
fry,  which  were  hatched  and  planted  dur- 
ing the  summer  months  in  Monterey, 
San  Mateo,  Santa  Clara  aud  Santa  Cruz 
counties. 


78 


CALIFORNIA   FISH   AND   GAME. 


SCOTT  CREEK  STATION. 
The  total  take  of  steelhoad  trout  eggs 
was  only  1,750,000  at  Scott  Creek  during 
the  season  of  1919,  owing  to  the  drought, 
which  seriously  interfered  with  the  extent 
of  our  operations  in  that  section.  As 
stated  above  the  eggs  were  all  sent  to  the 
Brookdale  Ilatchei-y,  where  they  were 
"eyed"  for  distribution  to  various  other 
hatcheries. 

ALMANOR  HATCHERY. 
Two  hundred  thousand  rainbow  trout 
eggs  were  taken  at  the  Almanor  dam  of 
the  Great  Western  Power  Company  last 
season,  but  the  water  supply  for  the 
hatchery  failed  early  in  the  season  and 
it  was  necessary  to  transfer  all  of  the  eggs 
as  soon  as  they  were  properly  "eyed"  to 
the  Clear  Creek  Hatchery  near  Westwood. 

DOMINGO  SPRINGS  HATCHERY. 
Nearly  a  million  rainbow  trout  eggs 
were  taken  at  Domingo  Springs  Station 
during  the  season  and  consignments  of 
"eyed"  eggs  were  shipped  to  Mount 
Shasta  and  Wawona  hatcheries.  The 
rainbow  and  steelhead  trout  fry  reared  at 
the  Domingo  Springs  Station  were  given 
a  very  wide  distribution  in  streams  and 
lakes  of  Lassen,  Plumas  and  Tehama 
counties.     An  auto  truck  was  used  for  a 


great  part  of  the  distribution  and  the 
United  States  Forest  Service  at  Mineral 
cooperated  in  the  work  of  giving  the  fish 
a  wide  distribution.  After  the  fish  were 
all  planted  verj'  extensive  iiaprovements 
were  made  to  the  station  and  an  auxiliary 
egg  collecting  station  was  (established  at 
the  mouth  of  Warner  Cre^^k  If  condi- 
tions are  favorable  during  the  coming 
season  for  ogg  collecting  oporations  in  that 
section,  a  much  larger  take  of  eggs  can 
be  looked  for  than  has  ever  before  been 
obtained. 

CLEAR    CREEK    HATCHERY. 

The  rainbow  trout  eggs  received  at 
Clear  Creek  Hatchery  from  the  Almanor 
Hatchery  were  hatched  and  distributed  in 
the  streams  and  lakes  in  the  vicinity  of 
Westwood,  Lassen  County.  It  was  the 
tirst  season  this  station  was  operated  and 
the  results  obtained  were  satisfactory  in 
every  respect.  After  the  fish  had  all  been 
distributed  many  little  repairs  and  im- 
provements were  made  and  racks  and  trap 
were  installed  in  the  creek  beside  the 
hatchery.  A  holding  pen  for  the  spawn- 
ing trout  was  also  constructed  and  during 
the  coming  season  an  effort  will  be  made 
to  collect  eggs  from  the  rainbow  trout 
running  up  Clear  Creek  to  spawn. 


Fig.  27.  Fish  rack  on  Warner  Creek,  Plumas  County,  California,  where  many  trout 
were  taken  for  spawning  purposes  this  past  year.  Photographed  by  M.  K.  Spaulding, 
September,  1919. 


CALIFORNIA   FISH   AND   GAME. 


79 


BEAR    LAKE    HATCHERY. 

Nearly  5,000,000  rainbow  trout  eggs 
were  taken  at  North  Creek  Egg  Collecting 
Station  during  the  season  of  1019,  despite 
the  inadequate  facilities  to  handle  the 
work.  It  was  demonstrated  that  to  take 
advantage  of  the  wonderful  possibilities 
for  the  collecting  of  rainbow  trout  eggs 
at  Bear  Lake  it  was  essential  that  very 
extensive  improvements  be  made  in 
order  to  handle  the  spawning  fish  prop- 
erly, that  suitable  hatchery  buildings, 
properly  equipped,  be  provided  at  both 
North  Creek  and  Green  Spot  Springs,  and 
most  important  of  all,  that  adequate  living 
accommodations  be  provided  for  the 
foremen  and  assistants  at  both  places.  It 
is  not  possible  to  obtain  satisfactory 
results  from  a  station  where  the  egg  col- 
lecting paraphernalia  is  inadequate  for 
the  requirements,  and  poorly  constructed  ; 
where  the  hatching  troughs  are  covered 
only  by  canvas  and  where  the  foremen  and 
assistants  in  charge  of  the  work  are 
compelled  to  live  at  an  altitude  of  7000 
feet  above  sea  level,  in  a  land  of  deep 
snow  and  freezing  weather,  with  only 
small  tents  for  living  quarters.  It  is 
neither  fair  to  the  men  nor  to  the  work 
to  operate  under  such  conditions.  Ac- 
cordingly, as  soon  as  the  fish  were  dis- 
tributed, a  crew  of  men  was  put  to  work 
on  the  various  creeks  flowing  into  Bear 
Lake.  The  beds  of  the  streams  were 
cleaned  up  and  passageways  were  cut  to 
enable  the  spawning  fish  to  enter  the 
creeks  through  the  sand  bars.  Checks 
were  made,  racks  and  traps  constructed, 
and  cabins  built  for  watchmen  and  trap 
tenders. 

The  hatchery  buildings  at  North  Creek 
and  Green  Spot  Springs  were  put  in  first 
class  shape  and  suitable  living  quarters 
were  constructed  for  the  foremen  and 
assistants.  The  stations  are  now  in  ex- 
cellent condition  for  the  coming  season's 
work,  and  if  there  is  sufficient  snow  and 
rainfall  in  that  section  this  season,  the 
take  of  eggs  will  undoubtedly  break  all 
last   records. 

KAWEAH    HATCHERY. 

To  keep  up  with  the  demands  of  the 
applicants  of  Kern,  Fresno  and  Tulare 
counties  for  trout  fry  for  the  streams  of 
that  section,   it  was  decided   to   establish 


an  experimental  hatchery  to  ascertain  the 
suitability  of  the  water  for  hatchery  pur- 
poses. A  site  was  selected  near  the  town 
of  Hammond  on  the  Kaweah  River,  on 
one  of  the  main  highways.  Rainbow, 
black-spotted  and  steelhead  trout  eggs 
were  shipped  to  the  hatchery  and  the  fry 
hatched  were  given  the  very  best  atten- 
tion throughout  the  spring  and  summer 
months,  careful  records  being  made  of 
water  temperatures.  The  fry  reared 
were  strong  and  healthy  and  attained  a 
very  good  size.  Three  hundred  and  eighty 
thousand  trout  were  hatched,  reared  and 
planted  in  the  tributaries  of  the  Kaweah 
River  and  other  streams  in  that  section 
during  the  summer.  All  arrangements 
have  been  made  and  plans  drawn  for  a 
good-sized  hatchery  building  to  be  con- 
structed this  spring,  providing  that  a 
satisfactory  lease  can  be  obtained  for  a 
hatchery  site. 

WAWONA    HATCHERY. 

Wawona  Hatchery  was  again  operated 
during  the  past  season.  Rainbow  and 
steelhead  eggs  were  shipped  in  from  other 
stations  and  a  quarter  of  a  million  fry 
were  distributed  in  the  streams  of  Ma- 
dera and  Mariposa  counties  during  the 
early  summer  months. 

YOSEMITE    HATCHERY. 

The  experimental  station  located  at 
Happy  Isles  in  Yosemite  Valley  was 
operated  during  the  summer.  Rainbow, 
black-spotted  and  steelhead  trout  eggs 
were  shipped  in  from  other  stations,  and 
the  fry  resulting  therefrom  were  success- 
fully reared  to  a  good  size  and  were 
given  an  extensive  distribution  in  the 
streams  and  lakes  in  the  Yosemite  Valley, 
with  the  cooperation  of  the  officials  and 
employees  of  the  Yosemite  National  Park. 
The  site  was  demonstrated  as  being  satis- 
factory for  hatchery  purpose,  but  as  it  is 
against  the  policy  of  the  state  to  erect 
permanent  buildings  on  leased  land  it  was 
decided  at  a  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Fish 
and  Game  Commissioners,  held  during  the 
latter  part  of  October,  to  abandon  the 
project.  All  equipment  was  therefore 
removed  from  the  site  and  transported  by 
auto  trucks  to  the  Wawona  Hatchery, 
where  it  has  been  used  to  equip  that 
station  for  more  extensive  operations. 


80 


CALIFORNIA   FISH   AND    GAME. 


COMMERCIAL  FISHERY  NOTES. 

X.  15.  ScOFiEi.D,  Editor 


INVESTIGATION     OF     HALIBUT     FISH- 
ERIES   PROPOSED. 

lu  the  proposed  treaty  between  the 
United  States  and  Canada  to  re^^ulate 
and  consei-ve  the  halibut  fishery  it  is 
provided  that  inhabitants  of  cither  of  the 
two  countries  may  not  lish  for  halibut  in 
the  North  Pacific  Ocean  from  November 
ll>  to  February  15,  both  dates  inclusive, 
this  closed  season  to  continue  in  effect 
until  February  15,  11)30.  It  also  provides 
that  the  two  governments  sliall  cause  to 
be  made  a  thorough  joint  investigation 
into  the  life  history  of  the  Pacific  halibut. 
The  International  Fisheries  Commission, 
appointed  by  the  two  governments  in  I'Jl'J 
for  the  protection  and  rehabilitation  of 
the  salmon  fisheries  of  the  Fraser  Kiver 
and  Paget  Sound,  is  charged  with  the 
supervision    of   the   halibut   investigation. 

It  was  conclusively  shown  some  six 
years  ago  by  Mr.  W.  F.  Thompson,  who 
made  an  investigation  of  the  halibut 
fisherj'  for  the  government  of  British 
Columbia,  that  the  known  halibut  banks 
were  being  depicted  at  an  alarming  rate. 
This  was  clearly,  shown  by  a  decided  de- 
crease in  the  catch  per  unit  of  fishing 
gear  and  by  a  marked  reduction  in  the 
catch  of  large  fish.  Since  tiiat  time  the 
total  catch  has  declined  rapidly  and  it 
does  not  need  a  life  history  investigation 
to  show  that  the  halibut  fishery  of  the 
North  Pacific  is  well  on  its  way  to  com- 
mercial extermination.  An  investigation 
of  life  histories  is  well  enough  and  a 
necessary  part  of  such  an  investigation, 
but  it  is  more  important  to  institute  a 
system  of  gathering  accurate  statistics  of 
the  catch.  We  have  been  sIca^'  in  learn- 
ing that  the  basis  of  fisheries  conservation 
work  must  be  accurate  and  complete  data 
of  the  catch.  It  strikes  us  that  the  two 
governments  are  about  six  years  late  in 
starting  and  that  the  short  winter  closed 
season,  during  the  time  the  catch  is  always 
very  light,  is  totally  inadequate. 

SLEEPER    SHARK    CAPTURED. 

A  sleeper  shark,  known  to  iclithyologists 

as   Soinniosiis   microcciihaJous   was   taken 

in  one  of  the  A.  Paladini  Company's  trawl 

nets    while    fishing    off    Point    Reyes    on 


February  20.  The  length  of  the  fish  was 
only  seven  feet,  which  is  considered  small, 
as  sleeper  sharks  reach  a  length  of 
twenty-five  feet.  The  event  was  not  re- 
markable in  the  fact  that  a  shark  was 
taken  in  a  trawl  net,  for  the  trawl  nets 
catch  large  numbers  of  sharks,  but  in 
the  fact  that  this  is  the  first  sleeper  shark 
that  has  ever  been  recorded  from  Cali- 
fornia. This  adds  one  more  species  to 
the  list  of  nineteen  sharks  found  in  Cali- 
fornia as  given  by  Professor  E.  C.  Starks 
in  October,  11)17,  and  .  January,  11)18, 
issues  of  this  magazine. 

The  sleeper  shark  may  be  known  from 
the  other  sharks  by  the  absence  of  an 
anal  fin  and  by  the  absence  of  a  spine 
at  the  front  of  each  of  the  two  dorsal  fins. 
This  sluggish  and  clumsy  looking  shark 
is  commonly  found  in  the  Arctic  regions 
and  extending  down  the  Siberian  coast  to 
Japan  and  down  the  west  coast  of  North 
America  to  Puget  Sound.  It  is  found 
commonly  about  Greenland  and  south  to 
Cape  Cod  and  France.  On  our  New  Eng- 
land coast  it  is  known  as  the  gun-y 
shark  from  its  habit  of  eating  fish  offal. 
In  Alaska  it  frequents  the  region  of  the 
salmon  canneries  where  it  eats  the  fish 
offal  thrown  away  at  the  canneries.  It 
is  i-eported  as  attacking  whales  in  a 
ferocious  manner,  biting  chunks  from 
their  hides. 

MARKING  SOCKEYE  SALMON  FRY. 
The  United  States  Bureau  of  Fisheries 
is  marking  yearling  sockeye  salmon  fry  at 
their  Bonneville  Hatchery  in  Oregon. 
These  fry,  hatched  from  eggs  obtained  at 
the  salmon  hatchery  at  Afognak,  Ahiska. 
will  be  liberated  in  the  Columbia  Kiver 
and  a  watch  kept  for  their  return  to  the 
stream  to  spawn  three  years  hence.  A 
few  years  ago  the  Bureau  marked  and 
liberated,  in  the  Columbia  River,  sock- 
eye  fry  which  were  hatched  from  eggs 
taken  at  Yes  Bay,  Alaska.  These  fry 
returned  at  the  age  of  four  years  to  spawn 
and  it  was  found  that  they  were  not  like 
the  sockeyes  which  run  naturally  in  the 
Columbia  River  but  were  like  the  Yes 
Bay  fish  in  size  and  quality,  thus  proving 
pretty  conclusively  that  the  fish  from  the 


CALIFORNIA   FISH   AND   GAME. 


81 


Lwo  places  are  not  ditTerent  on  account  of 
a  difference  in  tlie  feed  in  the  two  places, 
but  for  the  reason  that  the  snckeyes  of  the 
two  regions  are  distinct  races  and  that 
size  and  quality  are  inherited  characters. 
The  sockeyes  at  Afognak  are  of  still  an- 
other race  whose  members  are  smaller  of 
size  and  of  different  quality  when  com- 
pared with  either  the  Yes  Bay  or 
Columbia  fish  of  the  same  species.  The 
return  of  the  fish  now  being  marked  will 
be  eagerly  awaited  for  the  final  and  con- 
clusive proof  that  size  and  quality  are 
inherited  characters. 

LOW   RIVERS   INFLUENCE  SPAWNING 
HABITS    OF    HERRING. 

Ordinarily  herring  which  enter  San 
Francisco  Harbor  in  January  and  Febru- 
ary congregate  in  Richardson  Bay  and 
along  the  lower  end  of  Angel  Island,  at- 
taching their  spawn  to  the  rocks  and  sea 
weeds  along  the  shores  of  Belvedere  as 
well  as  along  the  shore  of  the  main  land 
and  Angel  Island  near  the  lower  end  of 
Raccoon  Straits.  This  year,  on  account 
of  the  low  water  in  the  rivers,  which  per- 
mitted the  salt  water  to  move  further 
up  stream  than  ever  before  recorded,  the 
herring  have  for  the  first  time  in  the 
memory  of  the  oldest  fishermen,  deposited 
their  spawn  in  the  upper  portion  of  the 
harbor  known  as  San  Pablo  Bay.  They 
attached  their  sqawn  in  all  suitable  places 
from  Point  San  Pablo  to  Poijit  Pinole  and 
the  schools  of  herring  instead  of  collect- 
ing in  Richardson  Bay  near  Sausalito 
and  Belvedere  moved  on  up  through  Rac- 
coon Straits  so  that  the  best  fishing  was 
found  from  Southhampton  Shoal  to  Red 
Rock. 

Very  few  herring  were  caught  this 
season  in  San  Francisco  Bay  for  the  rea- 
son that  there  was  no  good  demand  for 
ihem  in  the  markets  and  under  the  new 
'aw  the  fishermen  were  not  permitted  to 
c.tch  them  for  reduction  purposes.  The 
San  Francisco  wholesale  markets  were  not 
able  to  dispose  of  over  two  or  three  tons 
per  day.  None  were  salted  or  smoked  as 
the  local  demand  for  salted  and  smoked 
herring  ended  when  the  saloons  closed  on 
July  1.  The  market  for  canned  herring 
was  off  so  none  of  them  were  canned. 
Fishermen  at  the  wharf  frequently  begged 
for  buyers  at   twenty-five  cents  per  box, 


and  these  delicious  fish  were  offered  at 
the  fish  stalls  at  from  five  lo  seven  cents 
per  pound  without  creating  any  appre- 
ciable demand  among  those  who  com- 
plain of  the  high  cost  of  fish.  Salmon 
and  striped  bass  were  scarce  at  the  time 
:uid  extremely  high  priced,  but  even  that 
lid  not  help  the  sale  of  the  cheaper 
variety. 

SALMON   PACKERS   FEAR   SALMON 
DEPLETION. 

With  the  failure  of  the  sockeye  runs 
in  Puget  Sound  and  Fraser  River  as  an 
object  lesson  the  salmon  packers  have  be- 
come alarmed  over  the  future  of  the  sal- 
mon industry  in  Alaska.  The  interested 
packers  met  together  and  decided  some- 
thing had  to  be  done  if  the  Alaska  salmon 
fisheries  are  to  continue  yielding  them  a 
profit.  A  committee  was  appointed  to 
draft  a  comprehensive  bill  for  the  con- 
servation of  the  fisheries  to  be  introduced 
and  passed  upon  by  the  Congress  of  the 
United  States.  The  committee  was  wisely 
chosen  and  is  made  up  of  the  following 
members :  D.  W.  Branch  of  Libby,  Mc- 
Neill &  Libby;  Carl  A.  Sutter  of  the 
Fidalgo  Island  Packing  Company  ;  Frank 
]M.  Warren  of  Alaska-Portland  Packers' 
Association ;  Henry  O'Malley,  Pacific 
Coast  Agent  United  States  Bureau  of 
Fisheries;  Ur.  C.  H.  Gilbert  of  Stanford 
Univei-sity  ;  John  N.  Cobb,  Director  Col- 
lege of  Fisheries,  University  of  Washing- 
ton ;  John  R.  Beegle,  of  Alaska  Fish 
Commission,  and  C.  D.  Garfield,  Secre- 
tary Alaska  Fish  Commission.  The 
committee  has  worked  for  several  months 
and  has  finally  perfected  a  bill  which  is 
likely  to  have  the  backing  of  the  salmon 
packers,  the  Alaska  Fish  Cornmission, 
the  United  States  Bureau  of  Fisheries 
and  all  interested  in  salmon  conservation. 
The  main  object  of  the  bill  is  to  provide 
for  a  larger  number  of  salmon  to  reach 
the  spawning  beds.  It  also  provides  for 
the  organization  of  an  Alaska  Fish  Com- 
mission composed  of  five  members  to  be 
appointed  by  the  Secretary  of  Commerce 
and  gives  this  commission  ample  power 
to  carry  on  the  consers'ation  work  of  such 
a  commission.  It  is  estimated  that  the 
measures  in  the  bill  regulating  the  fishing 
seasons  and  methods  of  fishing  will  reduce 
the  salmon  catch  about  twenty  per  cent. 


82 


CALIFORNIA   FISH    AND   GAME. 


KAMABOKO     BEING     MANUFACTURED 
AT   SAN    PEDRO. 

Among  the  additions  to  the  fish  packing 
industry  at  San  Pedro  Harbor  is  a  plant 
recently  established  by  ^Ir.  Isona  for 
manufacturing  kamaboko.  This  is  a 
product  prepared  from  white-meated  fish 
by  Japanese  methods.  Barracuda  is 
u.sually  employed  in  its  manufacture  but 
halibut,  sea  bass  and  jewfish  are  some- 
times utilized. 

Kamaboko  is  prepared  by  first  remov- 
ing all  bones  from  the  fish  and  scraping 
the  flesh  free  from  the  skin.  The  meat  is 
then  placed  in  a  large,  hollow  granite  bowl 
where  it  is  ground  into  a  fine  paste. 
Cornstarch,  salt,  sugar,  and  the  juice 
made  by  soaking  several  fronds  of  Japa- 
nese seaweed  (Arthrothamnus  iifidvs)  in 
warm  water  are  added,  and  the  mixture 
is  then  moulded  into  forms  and  placed  on 
thin  wooden  blocks  about  eight  inches 
long.  After  being  steamed  for  forty-five 
minutes  it  is  cooled  and  packed  for  ship- 
ment. For  fetes  and  special  occasions 
the  loaves,  weighing  about  one  pound,  are 
tinted,  red,  blue,  or  green,  and  resemble 
very  much  pieces  of  pastry.  Other  forms 
are  moulded  and  baked  or  fried  in  oil 
without  coloring. 

The  manufacture  of  kamaboko  has 
developed  into  quite  an  industry  in  Japan, 
where  it  is  one  of  the  staple  articles  of 
food.  It  is  palatable  and  nutritious  and 
may  be  eaten  as  a  sandwich  filling,  or  cut 
into  small  pieces  and  added  to  soups, 
chowders,  or  chop  suey.  The  finished 
product  will  keep  about  one  week,  but 
plans  are  now  under  way  to  can  it  for 
export  trade. 

The  plant  at  San  Pedro  has  a  capacity 
of  approximately  five  hundred  pounds  of 
fish  per  day.  C.  S.  Bauder. 


Most    of    those    who    complain    of    the 

high     cost     of     fish     know     only     three 

varieties — salmon,      striped      bass      and 

halibut. 

«     >^     * 

Any  official  who  attempts  to  satisfy 
the  public  on  the  price  of  fish  has  set  for 
himself  an  impossible  task. 

*  *     * 

Scarcely    one-fifth    of   California's    fish 
ratfh  goes  to  the  fresh  fish  markets. 
ii>     >i<     * 

The  wholesale  value  of  last  year's  fish 

pack    in    California    exceeded    twenty-five 

million  dollars. 

«     *     * 

California  ranks  first  among  the  states 

in  the  value  of  her  fishery  products. 

*  *     * 

If  California  had  depended  only  on  the 
fresh  fish  markets  its  fisheri'^s  would  now 

be  unimportant. 

*  «     * 

The  only  adequate  way  to  get  the  pub- 
lic to  eat  new  varieties  of  fish  is  to  get 
the  fish  in  cans  and  give  them  euphonious 

names. 

*  *     * 

The  price  of  fish  does  not  cut  as  much 

figure  as  the  name. 

*  *     ♦ 

One  of  the  best  food  fishes  we  have  in 
California  is  the  shad,  which  was  intro- 
duced some  fifty  years  ago  from  the  At- 
lantic coast.  These  excellent  fish  are 
now  running  and  ai"e  abundant  and  cheap. 
AVe  will  use  less  than  ten  per  cent  of  the 
catch  in  this  state.  The  rest  will  be 
shipped  to  Chicago,  Boston  or  New  York 
where  they  sell  readily  at  three  times 
their  price  in  San  Francisco,  while  we 
continue  to  complain  of  the  high  cost  of 
fish. 


CALIFORNIA   FISH    AND   GAME. 


83 


NOTES  FROM  THE  STATE  FISHERIES  LABORATORY.* 

By  Will  F.  Thompson  and  Elmer  Higgins. 


A  SCIENTIFIC  ASSISTANT  EMPLOYED. 

The  Commission  has  secured  the  serv- 
ices of  Miss  Helen  M.  Edwards  as  a 
scientific  assistant,  commencing  January 
15.  Miss  Edwards  has  had  considerable 
experience  as  assistant  in  work  of  the 
character  now  being  done  by  the  Com- 
mission, having  been  employed  while  she 
was  still  an  undergraduate  at  Stanford 
University,  by  Doctor  C.  H.  Gilbert  dur- 
ing his  work  on  the  salmon.  In  addi- 
tion, she  has  done  scientific  drawing, 
and  is  a  capable  stenographer. 

W.  F.  T. 

PROGRESS    OF    THE    SARDINE    WORK. 

Mr.  Higgins  at  San  Pedro,  and  Mr. 
Sette  at  Monterey,  are  engaged  under  the 
supervision  of  Mr.  Thompson,  in  laying 
the  foundation  for  the  future  work  on  the 
sardine.  This  preliminary  "survey,"  if 
such  it  may  be  called,  consists  of  a  care- 
ful and  laborious  tracing  of  the  character 
of  the  sardine  "runs"  at  different  times 
of  the  year  and  the  ascertaining  of  the 
size  classes  which  go  to  make  up  the 
catches.  The  samples  are  obtained  from 
the  boats  as  they  unload  at  the  canneries, 
and  measurements  of  length  and  weight 
are  taken,  together  with  other  biological 
observations  on  sex  and  state  of  maturity. 
This  is  expected  to  give  data  upon  which 
age  may  be  distinguished,  to  render  it 
possible  to  correlate  fluctuations  in  catch 
with  various  conditions,  to  enable  the 
catches  of  successive  years  to  be  com- 
pared more  accurately  from  the  stand- 
point of  age  composition  and  to  indicate 
the  spawning  season  as  nearly  as  possi- 
ble. The  necessity  for  such  a  "survey" 
and  its  value  in  future  work  have  already 
been  amply  demonstrated  in  a  number  of 
ways,  upon  which  comment  may  be  ex- 
pected in  the  future. 

The  Commission  has  been  granted  the 
courtesy  of  accommodations  at  Hopkins 
Marine  Station,  at  Pacific  Grove,  as 
headquarters  for  the  work  being  done  on 
the  sardine  at  Monterey,  and  thanks  are 
due  the  director,  Doctor  W.  K.  Fisher, 
for  his  many   favors.     The  work   on  the 


♦California   State  Fisheries  Laboratory, 
Contribution   No.    18, 


sardine  is  also  being  carried  on  at  San 
Pedro,  and  the  Commission  is  under  ob- 
ligations to  the  Neilsen  and  Kittle  Can- 
ning Company  for  quarters  there.  With- 
out their  courtesy  the  Commission  would 
be  without  adequate  facilities  for  the  in- 
vestigation, as  the  present  laboratory  at 
Long  Beach  is  too  distant  from  the  fishery 
centers.  W.  F.  T. 

OCCURRENCE    OF    A    DEEP    SEA    FISH 
AT    MONTEREY. 

It  often  happens,  especially  in  deep  sea 
halibut  fishing,  that  cod  or  halibut  trawls 
are  set  over  water  which  is  too  deep,  and 
in  such  case  strange  silvery  fish  are 
sometimes  taken.  These  fish  have  snouts 
projecting  in  sharp  angles  beyond  the 
large  mouth,  their  eyes  are  large,  their 
scales  are  very  rough  and  silvery,  and  the 
body  tapers  back  into  a  long,  thin,  pointed 
tail  bordered  above  and  below  with  fins, 
but  lacking  a  separate  tail  fin.  These 
fishes  are  allied  to  the  cods,  and  belong 
to  the  family  Coryphaenoididae.  One 
such  specimen  was  brought  into  Monterey 
during  January,  and  preserved  by  Mr. 
Oyer,  the  deputy  there.  It  belongs  to  the 
species  known  as  Nematonurus  aerolepis, 
one  taken  in  numbers  by  the  United 
States  Bureau  of  Fisheries'  vessel  "Al- 
batross" during  her  work  olT  California, 
and  found  along  our  coasts  in  depths  of 
500  and  1500  fathoms  as  far  north  as 
Bering  Sea  and  in  Japanese  waters.  It 
was  entirely  unknown  to  the  fishermen,  as 
would  be  natural  considering  the  depths 
at  which  it  is  usually  found.      W.  F.  T. 

INVESTIGATION   OF   THE   SALTON 
SEA. 

During  the  latter  part  of  December, 
Mr.  Crandall  of  the  Scripps  Institution, 
and  Doctor  H.  C.  Bryant  and  Mr.  W.  F. 
Thompson  of  the  Fish  and  Game  Com- 
mission, visited  Salton  Sea  to  investigate 
the  life  and  the  hydrographical  conditions 
of  the  sea.  They  were  the  guests  of  Cap- 
tain Davis,  who  has  long  been  known  to 
the  Commission  as  engaged  in  shipping 
mullet  from  Salton  Sea.  During  the  visit, 
large  specimens  of  mullet  were  taken  by 
Captain   Davis'   fishermen,   but  no  other 


84 


CALIFORNIA   FISH   AND    GAMK. 


live  fish  were  observed  with  the  exception 
of  two  top  minnows  tal^on  along  the 
shore.  These  were  of  a  form  usuallj- 
taken  in  desert  springs  and  streams, 
Cyprinodon  maculmrius.  Later  Captain 
bavis  sent  to  Mr.  Thompson  samples  of 
small  fish  taken  from  the  vicinity  of  Fish 
Springs  at  the  northwestern  end  of  Safton 
Sea.  These  proved  to  he  of  the  same 
sjiecies. 

The  existence  of  the  grey  mnllet  in 
Salton  Sea  is  of  considerable  interest,  as 
lhi>  species  must  have  entered  during  the 
inflow  of  the  Colorado  River  during  190G. 
If  so  the  mullet  must  have  lived  in  the 
Colorado  at  some  distance  from  its  mouth, 
a  fact  not  strange  when  the  frequent  ap- 
pearance of  the  mullet  in  rivers  and 
lagoons  bordering  our  coast  is  remembered. 
However,  it  has  taken  some  time  for  the 
species  to  become  abundant  in  Salton  Sea, 
it  having  been  unrecorded  previous  to 
lOin.  according  to  Captain  Davis.  Dur- 
ing the  interval  it  is  said  that  carp 
appeared  in  great  numbers  and  then  died 
off.  The  carp  and  the  mullet  are  both 
bottom  feeding  fish,  consuming  vegetation, 
etc..  and  are  not  dependent  on  other 
smaller  fish  species.  But  the  mullet  is 
also  capable  of  existing  in  brackish  and 
salt  water — that  being  its  natural  habi- 
tat in  fact — and  it  is  probable  that  this 
enabled  it  to  flourish  where  the  carp  could 
not.  The  ancients  used  to  grow  mullet 
in  artificial  enclosures,  and  the  fiesh  was 
considered  a  great  delicacy. 


There  are  also  said  to  he  species  of 
fresh  water  fish  found  at  times  near  the 
outlets  of  the  New  and  the  Alamo  rivers, 
\n  t  nothing  was  seen  of  these.  W.  F.  T. 

THE  RECUPERATIVE  POV^/ER  OF  THE 
ABALONE. 

During  llHl  .Mr.  W.  F.  Thompson 
carried  on  a  survey  of  the  shell  fish  of 
the  northern  part  of  the  state,  and  during 
its  course  came  naturally  to  handle  many 
specimens  of  the  red  abalone,  Jluliotia 
nifcsceiis.  Among  thesa  was  a  specimen 
remarkable  for  the  evident  great  recupera- 
tive powers.  The  viscera  of  the  abalone 
naturally  surround  the  large  central 
muscle  in  a  peculiar  way,  as  a  bent  cone, 
and  in  this  case  the  cone  had  been  cut  off 
by  some  one  attempting  to  obtain  the 
abalone.  The  attempt  failing,  the  aba- 
lone had  evidently  succeeded  in  covering 
the  large  mass  of  dead  cut-off  parts  with 
pearly  layers  of  shell.  But  that  the 
animal  had  bren  seriously  injured  could 
not  be  doubted,  the  edge  of  the  shell  show- 
ing a  total  cessation  of  growth  for  some 
time  previous  to  death.  The  shell  only 
was  found,  the  abalone  having  finally  died, 
possibly  as  a  result  of  the  injury.  A 
photograph  of  it  is  presented. 

Altered  shell  formation  is  not  at  all 
infrequent,  particularly  among  clams, 
where  growth  is  often  seerningly  totally 
stopped  by  some  injury,  and  starts  again 
well  in  from  the  former  edge.  But 
no    instance   has   ever   been    seen    bv    the 


Fig.   28.     Shell  of  abalone   {Ilaliotis  rufesccns)   showing 
part  of  damaged  viscera  covered  by  a  pearly  layer  of  shell. 
Taken  near  Fort  Bragg  in  1911. 


CALIFORNIA   PISH   AND    GAME. 


85 


undersigned  where  the  injury  was  of  such 
a  severe  nature  as  in  the  case  of  this 
abalone,  and  in  wliich  shell  formation 
subsequently  proceeded  for  any  length  of 
time.  W.  F.  T. 

OCCURRENCE   OF  THE   GREEN 
ABALONE    IN    MONTEREY. 

Due  to  the  kindness  of  Mr.  Ernest 
Dalter,  who  conducts  a  sea  food  restau- 
rant in  Monterey,  it  is  possible  to  record 
the  occurrence  of  the  northern  "green"  aba- 
lone,  Haliotis  wallalcnsis.  in  the  Bay  of 
Monterey.  It  is  undoubtedly  a  very  rare 
inhabitant  of  our  waters.  Mr.  Dalter 
has  in  his  possession  a  shell  of  this  sup- 
posed variety  of  Haliotis  fitlgens  SJ 
inches  long.  It  is  hardly  to  be  doubted 
that  it  is  a  distinct  .«pecies,  not  a  variety 
of  the  "green"'  abalone,  the  shell  much 
resembling  that  of  the  red  abalone,  never 
exceeding  5^  inches  in  length,  and  usually 
possessing  G  or  7  open  holes.      W.  F.  T. 

STREAM  POLLUTION  IN  NEW  YORK 
STATE. 

In  a  recent  publication  by  the  Con- 
servation Commission  of  the  State  of  New 
York,  1919,  Doctor  Henry  B.  Ward  of  the 
University  of  Illinois  records  the  results 
of  his  preliminary  investigation  of  pol- 
luted streams  in  New  York  in  their  rela- 
tion to  fish  life.  In  this  paper  he 
emphasizes  the  utility  of  biological  work, 
rather  than  chemical  or  bacteriological, 
in  determining  the  extent  of  pollution. 
Bacterial  tests  are  made  to  determine  the 
effect  of  the  water  when  used  for  drinking, 
but  these  have  little  relation  to  fish  life. 
Chemical  tests  are  of  limited  use  because 
"we  do  not  by  any  means  always  know 
the  effect  upon  living  organisms  of  a  given 
chemical  substance,"  especially  in  varying 
dilutions  and  relation  to  other  chemicals 
present.  "In  order  to  reach  a  more  ac- 
curate measure  of  the  injurious  char- 
acter of  polluted  waters,  one  would  have 
to  take  into  account  the  effects  of  the 
prolonged  influences  of  a  waste  on  the 
fish."  The  resistance  of  various  species 
varies  widely,  as  does  that  of  the  same 
species  at  different  seasons.  Doctor 
Ward  is  plainly  of  the  opinion  that  "if  the 
character  of  the  water  and  the  bottom 
have  been  so  modified  by  the  introduction 
of  foreign  materials  that  they  no  longer 
afford  opportunity  for  the  development  of 


these  smaller  organisms  (food  for  fish), 
then  by  the  absence  of  such  forms  of  life 
one  would  demonstrate  clearly  and  posi- 
tively the  fact  that  water  has  been 
rendered  unfit  for  fish  existence" — this 
method  to  be  used,  of  course,  in  addition 
to  the  observations  and  tests  made  directly 
upon  fish  themselves. 

Californians  should  be  interested  chiefly 
on  account  of  the  relation  of  pollution  to 
salmon  and  other  anadromous  fishes,  to 
which  the  following  by  Doctor  Ward  may 
sometime  apply  here :  "It  is  hardly  a 
profitable  business  for  the  state  to  raise  at 
such  a  considerable  expense  quantities 
of  young  fish  in  order  to  plant  them  out 
in  waters  in  which  the  chances  of  exist- 
ence are  unfavorable."  Doctor  Ward 
presents  a  preliminary  survey  of  the  water 
polluted  streams,  and  a  series  of  recom- 
mendations, to  which  the  attention  of  any 
one  interested  may  be  called.  He  lays 
much  emphasis  on  the  necessity  of  a 
careful  census,  continued  study,  reclama- 
tion of  wastes  and  the  education  of  public 
opinion  to  the  banishment  of  wastes  from 
our  streams  as  they  have  been  banished 
from  our  streets.  There  is  enclosed  with 
the  paper  a  map  showing  the  great  num- 
ber of  establishments  in  New  York  from 
which  pollution   may   be  expected. 

W.  F.  T. 

GULLS    IN    MONTEREY    BAY. 

On  account  of  the  fish  eating  habits  of 
s?a  gulls,  their  abundance  is  a  matter  of 
interest  to  those  engaged  in  the  study  of 
fish.  At  INIonterey,  where  the  sardine 
canneries  are  located,  there  are  frequently 
great  flocks  at  rest  on  the  rocks  and  ad- 
jacent quiet  waters,  which  seem  to  be 
thickly  spotted  with  the  birds  as  far  as 
the  eye  can  reach.  An  exceptionally 
favorable  opportunity  seemed  to  present 
itself  on  February  17  of  this  year,  1920, 
because  of  the  unusual  number  of  birds 
present,  and  an  attempt  was  made  to 
estimate  the  numbers  of  birds  within  eye- 
sight of  a  window  in  the  Hopkins  Marine 
Slation.  Counting  with  a  field  glass  it 
was  certain  that  3000  were  within  sight  of 
the  naked  eye,  and  it  would  not  be  amiss 
to  increase  this  by  another  thousand  to 
cover  those  not  seen  or  in  flight.  This 
number,  4090,  surely  represented  a  half  of 
the  total  in  the  region  comprising  the 
waterfronts  of  Monterey  and  New  Mon- 


86 


CALIFORNIA   FISH    AND   GAME. 


terey.  (Later  in  the  afternoon  Mr.  Sette 
counted  2000  from  the  same  position, 
thus  virtually  corroboratiug  the  previous 
estimate.) 

According  to  Doctor  W.  K.  Fisher  the 
species  dominaiilly  represented  were  the 
glaucus-winged,  the  western,  and  the 
herring  gulls,  in  the  order  named. 

There  can  not  be  much  doubt  as  to  the 
fact  that  the  birds  in  Monterey  Bay  were 
the  majority  of  those  within  many  miles, 
and  many  more  than  are  usually  present, 
so  that  from  the  rough  figures  given  some 
estimate  of  the  maximum  amount  of  fish 
they  might  consume  can  be  derived.  Tak- 
ing a  pound  of  sardines  a  day  as  all  a 
sea  gull  would  consume,  an  estimate 
probably  very  excessive,  and  considering 
them  all  as  fish  eaters,  the  four  thousand 
within  sight  would  be  satisfied  with  two 
tons.  This  would  be  about  six-tenths  of 
one  per  cent  of  what  are  taken  daily  by 
fishermen  at  this  point.  Furthermore  it 
is  almost  certain  that  most  of  the  fish 
eaten  by  the  gulls  are  the  sardines  dis- 
carded by  the  boats  and  canneries,  or 
other  species  locally  abundant.  Doctor 
Fisher  calls  attention  to  the  fact  that 
gulls  are  diurnal  in  habit,  and  must  have 
trouble  in  catching  live  sardines  during 
the  light  of  the  day,  the  more  so  as  they 
are  incapable  of  diving  more  than  a  few 
inches  under  the  water  surface.  Natur- 
ally, regardless  of  the  exact  pi'oportion 
the  gulls  in  sight  were  of  the  grand  total, 
the  amount  eaten  is  not  one  which 
threatens  to  deplete  the  sardine.  And  as 
a  matter  of  fact,  the  presence  of  so  many 
gulls  should  be  rather  a  sharp  commentary 
on  the  waste  during  the  handling  of  the 
fish. 

These  remarkably  large  flocks  of  gulls 
which  obtain  their  food  from  the  sardine 
industry  are  supposed  to  stay  at  night  on 
some  rocky  islets  at  some  distance  from 
the  canneries,  but  Mr.  Sette  who  has  col- 
lected samples  of  the  sardine  catch 
throughout  this  season,  states  that  he  has 
observed  gulls  to  the  number  of  thirty  or 
more  feeding  on  the  sardines  lost  over- 
board from  lighters  unloading  about  11 :30 
at  night,  hence  during  total  darkness,  on 
January  20  of  this  year.  Whether  this 
is  a  normal  or  usual  habit  with  them  he 
does  not  know.  W  F.  T. 


OCCURRENCE    OF    A    RARE    CRAB. 

Mr.  T.  Taniguchi,  one  of  the  Japanese 
fishery  experts  at  one  time  engaged  in  the 
albacore  fishery  for  the  Fish  and  Game 
Commission,  has  forwarded  three  crabs 
taken  from  a  depth  of  twenty-five  fathoms 
on  a  rock  cod  bank  about  half  way  be- 
tween San  Diego  and  the  Corouado  Is- 
lands. They  prove  to  be  very  interesting 
specimens  of  the  same  species  as  one 
taken  by  the  United  States  vessel,  the 
"Albatross,"  during  her  deep  sea  work  on 
this  coast  in  1889  at  Station  2946,  latitude 
.'>;>  degrees  58  minutes  north  and  longitudi' 
119  degrees  30  minutes  45  seconds  west, 
and  described  by  James  E.  Benedict  as 
dalathca  californiensis.  The  correspon- 
dence between  our  specimens  and  the  one 
described  by  him  is  very  close,  and  no 
doubt  exists  concerning  the  identification. 

The  present  specimens  were  taken  by 
the  boat  "Julia,"  engaged  in  rock  cod 
fishing,  and  were  inside  a  silicious  sponge, 
one  of  the  open  Hexactinellid  type,  about 
three  feet  in  diameter.  They  were  taken 
February  5,  3920.  The  largest  is  50 
millimeters  in  length  from  the  telson  to 
the  tip  of  the  rostrum.  W.  F.  T. 

SCIENTIFIC    WORK    OF    THE    "ALBA- 
CORE"   IN    DECEMBER. 

Early  in  December  of  last  year,  the 
"Albacore"  made  its  final  trip  of  the 
season  for  the  collection  of  data  on  the 
life  history  of  the  halibut.  During  the 
greater  part  of  last  year,  trips  were  made 
at  regular  intervals  for  the  purpose  of 
collecting  data  on  the  distribution  of  the 
eggs  and  young  of  food  fishes  and  the 
location  of  their  spawning  grounds,  as 
well  as  the  collecting  of  data  on  the  life 
history  of  the  halibut,  but  owing  to  in- 
suSicient  equipment  a  part  of  this  work 
was  discontinued,  and  now  all  of  it  is 
temporarily  stopped,  due,  in  part,  to  the 
centering  of  the  attention  of  the  labora- 
tory staff  on  other  and  more  pressing 
problems.  The  results  of  the  December 
trip  are  of  special  interest  becau.se  they 
illustrate  both  the  practical  or  immediate, 
and  the  more  purely  scientific  values  of 
such  work. 

In  hauling  for  flatfish,  a  special  otter 
trawl        modified    from    the    commercial 


CALIFORNIA   FISH   AND   GAME. 


87 


paranzcUa  or  drag  net  is  used,  with 
ordinary  manila  rope  towing  warps. 
This  gear  is  simple  and  crude,  but  catclies 
are  made  averaging  from  500  to  1500 
pounds  of  fish  and  invertebrate  animals, 
including  as  high  as  twenty  species  of 
fish  in  one  haul.  Although  the  work  has 
been  chiefly  confined  to  inshore  opera- 
tions, on  December  9  and  10  two  hauls, 
which  yielded  valuable  results,  were  made 
in  water  about  50  fathoms  deep  on  a  good 
trawling  bottom  off  Huntington  Beach, 
Orange  County. 

Besides  taking  a  commercially  success- 
ful catch  of  market  fish,  red  rock  cod 
(Sebasfodes  sj).)  halibut,  flounders,  and 
sole  of  various  species' — these  hauls  re- 
vealed the  presence  of  several  species  of 
excellent  food  fishes  not  commonly  taken 
in  these  waters  and  rare  or  unknown  in 
the  markets.  One  of  these  was  the  sand 
dab,  Citharichthys  sordidus,  so  common 
in  the  San  Francisco  markets.  These 
fish  are  not  caught  in  any  quantity  in  the 
south,  and  the  southern  markets  therefore 
receive  their  supply  from  the  north. 

Another  species  taken  in  considerable 
quantities  in  the  hauls  was  the  yellow- 
spotted  sanddab,  Citliarichthys  xanthos- 
tigma,  recorded  for  the  first  time  from  the 
California  coast  in  California  Fisn  and 
Game  for  April,  1919.  This  sand  dab  is 
a  wider,  plumper  fish,  with  more  meat 
for  the  amount  of  bone  than  the  common 
dab  from  San  Francisco  and  would  be 
more  valuable  if  the  location  of  profitable 
banks  were  known  and  a  stable  supply  in 
the  markets  insured. 

Two  species  of  "sole"  were  also  taken 
which  might  be  found  in  commercial 
quantities  in  the  south  if  they  were 
sought  in  deep  enough  water.  These  were 
the  slippery  or  Chinese  sole,  Microstomus 
pacificus,  and  the  long-finned  or  rex  sole, 
Glyptocephalus  zacMrus.  Both  are  com- 
mon in  the  San  Francisco  markets  where 
they  are  often  strung  with  sand  dabs  in 
bunches  and  all  sold  together  under  one 
name,  but  are  unknown  in  local  catches 
in  the  south. 

Another  species  taken  in  these  hauls 
was  the  sable  fish,  or  Alaska  black  cod, 
Anoplopoma  fimhria.  This  fish  is  com- 
mon north  of  San  Francisco,  but  is  said 
by  naturalists  to  be  rare  in  southern 
California   and  seldom   seen   in   the  mar- 


kets. It  is,  however,  by  no  means  un- 
common in  the  south  but  is  so  little 
appreciated  that  it  is  grossly  misnamed 
"hake"  by  the  rock  cod  fishermen,  who 
take  considerable  numbers  on  their  lines, 
but  reject  it  from  the  catch  as  worthless 
because  the  flesh  is  rather  soft.  The 
United  States  Bureau  of  Fisheries  has 
advocated  the  exploitation  of  this  fish  in 
northern  waters,  and  methods  for  its  use 
have  been  devised.  It  is  said  to  be  par- 
ticularly  adapted   to   salting   and   drying. 

Thus  we  see  that  several  useful  food 
fish  have  been  added  to  the  list  of  edible 
fish  taken  by  the  "Albacore"  by  changing 
the  method  of  fishing  and  the  locality 
fished,  and  it  would  seem  from  this  that 
great  good  could  be  accomplished  by  fur- 
ther prospecting  and  experimenting  in 
deeper  water. 

Of  no  less  importance  than  the  results 
recorded  above  are  those  of  greater  scien- 
tific interest.  Besides  supplying  data 
from  aboul  300  halibut  concerning  their 
age  and  rate  of  growth,  their  spawning 
period,  and  fecundity,  several  species  were 
taken  which  extend  somewhat  the  known 
range  of  the  species,  adding  to  our  knowl- 
edge of  their  geographical  distribution. 

One  of  the  surprising  finds  was  the  rare 
and  little  known  smelt,  Argentina  sialis, 
Gilbert.  This  little  fish,  about  three 
inches  long,  is  our  only  southern  Cali- 
fornia representative  of  the  family  Argen- 
tinidae,  or  true  smelts,  but  is  not  related 
to  the  "smelts"  common  in  the  south, 
which  belong  to  a  different  family.  About 
300  specimens  were  taken  and  they  agree 
in  all  essential  points  with  the  description 
of  the  type  specimen,  which  is  the  only 
specimen  of  this  species  known.  This 
type  specimen  was  recorded  and  described 
by  Doctor  Gilbert  in  1890  as  from  the 
Gulf  of  California,  Albatross  Station  No. 
3017,  latitude  29  degrees  54  minutes  30 
seconds  north,  and  longitude  113  degrees 
01  minutes  00  seconds  west,  in  58  fath- 
oms.* Our  specimens  were  taken  De- 
cember 9  and  10,  1919,  in  45  fathoms 
off  Huntington  Beach,  and  this  seems  to 
be  their  second  recorded  occurrence. 

Two  specimens  of  the  peculiar  little 
eel-pout,  Lycodopsis  pacificus  (Collet), 
family,  Zoarcidae,  occurred  in  one  of  the 


♦Proceedings    U.    S.    National    Museum, 
1890,  p.   56. 


88 


CALIFORNIA   FISH   AND   GAME. 


above  hauls.  These  were  immature  .si>oci- 
lueus  and  differed  somewhat  iu  coloration 
from  current  descriptions  of  the  species. 
This  species  is  recorded  as  occurring 
rather  commonly  in  water  of  moderate 
jjldepth  from  San  Francisco  to  Puget 
Sound,  so  that  this  occurrence  extends 
Iho  known  range  con.siderably  southward. 
Two    other   species    were    taken    which 


are  known  to  occur  as  far  south  as  Point 
Conccpciou,  and  although  not  actually  ex- 
tending their  known  range  appreciably, 
may  nevertheless  be  listed  as  rare  here 
at  their  extreme  southern  limit.  They 
are  the  starry  skate,  Raja  stellulata, 
Jordon  and  Gilbert,  and  a  flounder, 
I'htiroiiichthys  dccurrcus,  Jordon  and 
Gilbert.  E.  H. 


LIFE  HISTORY  NOTES. 


WINTER  OCCURRENCE  OF  THE  FUL- 
VOUS TREE  DUCK  IN  THE  CEN- 
TRAL   SAN    JOAQUIN    VALLEY. 

In  that  definite  winter  records  are  few 
in  number,  it  is  well  to  record  the  occur- 
rence of  the  fulvous  tree  duck,  Dcn- 
drocygna  hicolor,  in  the  central  San 
Joaquin  Valley  during  the  winter  of 
1!)1!;)-11»20.  As  late  as  January  22  of 
this  winter  Mr.  J.  L.  Kinnear,  of 
Newman,  saw  a  flock  of  five  of  these 
ducks  on  the  Newman  Club  grounds ; 
and  still  later,  on  January  31,  Mr.  C.  C. 
Iluber,  also  of  Newman,  killed  two  of 
these  ducks  on  the  Newmau  Club  grounds. 
One  of  these  specimens,  mounted,  Mr. 
Iluber  presented  to  Mr.  Otto  Feudner, 
of  the  Peters  Cartridge  Company,  583 
Howard  street,  San  Francisco,  where  it 
is  now  on  disjjjay.  The  other  mounted 
specimen  he  still  retains  in  his  possession. 
There  were  also  a  few  fulvous  tree  ducks 
seen  and  some  killed  on  the  Gustine  Club 
grounds  during  January. — J.  E.  New- 
some,   Neioman,   California. 

THE  POMFRET,  NEAR  FORT  BRAGG. 
Two  specimens  of  the  pomfret,  Brama 
rati,  were  caught  alwut  three  miles  off 
the  coast  near  Fort  Bragg  by  W.  G. 
Vossbrink,  on  July  23,  1919.     They  were 


taken  on  a  salmon  troll  with  spoon  hook, 
o.")  fathoms  of  line  being  out  at  an  esti- 
mated angle  of  30  degrees  The  fishes 
measured  16i  inches  and  were  bright 
silver  in  color.  Authors  have  described 
this  species  as  sooty  gray,  which  appears 
to  be  characteristic  of  preserved  speci- 
mens only,  where  the  brilliant  silvery 
pigment  has  been  destroyed.  An  example 
in  the  National  Museum  which  was  taken 
off  the  coast  of  Washington,  offers  every 
evidence  of  having  been  like  these  speci- 
mens, as  bright  a.s  a  new  dollar.  A 
touch  of  the  finger  will  often  efface  the 
metallic  color. — J.  O.  Snyder,  Palo  Alto, 
California. 

WHERE  DO  DEER  SLEEP. 
I  have  many  times  observed  that  mule 
deer  in  the  Southern  Sierras  always  bed 
within  thick  cedars  or  other  forest  trees 
en  moonlight  nights,  whereas  the  same 
deer  apparently  sleep  out  in  the  open,  as 
for  instance  iu  an  apple  orchard  or  among 
brush,  during  the  dark  of  the  moon. 
Whether  this  is  a  con.st^int  habit  or  one 
luit  locally  developed  I  can  not  say,  but 
it  seems  reasonable  to  believe  that  these 
various  locations  are  chosen  as  a  means 
of  protection  from  enemies. — O.  P. 
Brownlow,   Portervillc,   California. 


UNITED  STATES  FOREST  SERVICE  COOPERATION. 


FIRE  AND  OUR  FORESTS. 
We  have  lately  had  a  sudden,  energetic 
flare  of  discussion  all  over  California 
upon  the  ancient  notions  of  "Piute  fores- 
try" whose  deep  fire-scars  remain  upon 
so  many  of  our  giant  landmark  pines 
and  sequoias.  It  can  be  made  to  sound 
very  plausible :  "burn  off  the  ruobish. 
the  dead  limbs  and  'stub.s,'  the  thick 
undergrowth    and    chaparral ;    clear    the 


way  for  more  forest,  incidently  get  more 
grass,  besides,  all  the  tree-beetles  which 
destroy  so  much  standing  timber."  All 
this  by  light  surface  fires — variously  ap- 
plied, kept  as  far  as  possible  under  con- 
trol, and  aimed  at  producing  a  smooth 
forest    floor. 

The  Forest  Service  is  solidly  opposed 
to  every  sort  of  "light  burning"  because 
they  have  seen  it  in  practice  many  times, 


CALIFORNIA   PISH    AND   GAME. 


89 


and  under  all  sorts  of  conditions ;  so  are 
the  foresters  of  all  other  civilized  coun- 
tries. This  does  not  mean,  of  course, 
that  foresters  do  not  desire  to  bum 
"stubs"  and  dead  trees  so  dangerously 
apt  to  be  struck  by  lightning  or  burn 
the  "tops"  after  logging  wherever  that 
can  be  done  with  safety,  in  the  cool 
season. 

The  underlying  principles  of  all  scien- 
tific forestry,  however,  are  these:  Save 
the  young  growth  as  well  as  the  mature 
trees;  protect  the  soil;  encourage  re- 
production ;  fill  up  all  possible  gaps  in 
the  forest  cover — do  not  make  more  by 
surface  fires — fight  all  fires  to  a  finish. 
Furthermore,  as  the  forester  knows,  the 
fire-weakened,  fire-scarred  tree  becomes 
almost  certainly  the  prey  of  forest  insects. 
The  main  points  in  all  this  are  reproduc- 
tion and  .soil  protection  from  loss  of 
humus  and  from  washes ;  these  last  are 
so  important  as  to  deserve  another  little 
talk  later. 

GAME       IN       THE       CALIFORNIA       NA- 
TIONAL   FOREST. 

It  is  generally  conceded  that  the  Cali- 
fornia National  Forest  contains  a  larger 
number  of  black-tailed  deer  than  any 
other  locality  of  equal  size,  and  that  the 
conditions  on  the  forest  for  propagation 
and  protection  are  unequalled  in  the  west. 
Embracing  as  it  does  large  areas  of  heavy 
l)rush  which  provide  protection  from  nat- 
ural enemies  and  almost  unlimited  forage 
(luring  the  entire  year ;  large  glade  areas 
which  remain  practically  snowless  during 
the  winter  months,  providing  an  abund- 
ance of  winter  feed  when  not  fed  too 
closely  by  domestic  stock ;  and  large  areas 
of  open  timber,  well  stocked  with  succu- 
lent weeds  and  grasses,  it  can  well  be 
said  to  be  ideal  as  a  locality  adapted 
to  the  perpetuation  of  this  valuable  game 
species. 

The  mating  season  for  deer  on  this 
forest  ranges  from  late  September  in  the 
foothills,  to  November  at  the  higher 
altitudes.  The  bucks  shed  their  horns 
from  January  15  to  March  15,  and  new 
growth  is  noticed  by  June  1.  The  horns 
become  hard  about  August  1,  although 
at  the  higher  elevations  they  are  still 
found  in  the  velvet  during  the  latter  part 
of  August,  and  even  up  to  September  10. 


The  fawns  appear  from  June  1  to  the 
end  of  July,  and  in  most  cases  are  in 
pairs. 

There  are  a  few  black  and  brown  bear 
on  the  forest,  but  they  can  hardly  be 
taken  seriously  as  a  game  animal.  In 
fact  they  are  used  by  unscrupulous  hunt- 
ers as  an  excuse  to  go  into  the  mountains 
with  packs  of  hounds  during  the  vdnter 
season,  when  there  is  no  doubt  that  many 
violations  of  the  game  laws  are  commit- 
ted. These  bears  are  ofteu  veiy  trouble- 
some to  sheep  permittees  and  settlers 
within  the  forest  who  raise  hogs,  as  the 
older  ones  frequently  develop  predatory 
tendencies.  It  is  probable,  also,  that  they 
are  responsible  for  many  of  the  kills  of 
deer  made  by  panthers,  as  they  feed  on 
the  deer  killed  by  the  panther  and  dis- 
turb it  in  such  a  way  that  it  is  no  longer 
palatable  to  the  panther,  who  makes  a 
new  kill. 

The  most  important  game  bird  on  the 
forest  is  the  mountain  quail.  It  is  found 
in  all  parts  of  the  forest  above  the  brush 
line  which  surrounds  the  forest  on  three 
sides,  and  during  the  past  two  years 
have  shown  a  gratifying  increase.  This 
is  attributed  in  part  to  the  destruction  of 
ground  squirrels  and  other  small  egg  eat- 
ing animals  by  the  United  States  Biologi- 
cal   Survey. 

Valley  quail  are  common  at  the  lower 
elevations,  and  they,  also  are  on  the 
increase. 

The  principal  fur-bearing  animals  .on 
this  forest,  and  the  numbers  caught  dur- 
ing the  present  season  so  far  as  shown 
by  the  incomplete  records  at  hand,  are 
as  follows  : 

Skunk    459 

Fox    (gray)    337 

Coyote 241 

Wild  cat 136 

Ring-tailed  cat 119 

Coon    74 

Civit  cat 25 

Fisher    23 

Badger 20 

Panther  Q 

Bear ~       5 

River  otter 4 

During  the  past  two  or  three  seasons 
there  has  been  a  large  increase  in  the 
number  of  trappers.  It  is  estimated  that 
there  are  fifty  trappers  on  the  forest  dur- 
ing the  past  season. 


90 


CALIFORNIA   FISH   AND    GAME. 


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Contra  Costa. 
Alameda 


Tehama, 
Colusa. 
Glenn — 


Sacramento. 
San  JoaQuln 


Solano.  Yolo. 


Marin. 


Jlendoclno. 
Sonoma,  Liake. 


Del  Norte. 
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CALIFORNIA   FISH    AND   GAME. 


Mexico 

65,905 
171,000 

Total 

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Los  Angeles 

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San  Francisco. 
San  Mateo 

1       I       1   lO  CO   (^          O      1       1       1             111 
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Alameda 

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Tehama. 
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Glenn 

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San  Joaauln 

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mCC-MCCrHOOCZiCOCrOCDCO       \ 
r>l'rtHiOOil'-00C0lf:(MmcoCO       t 

O   ira   00  i-^  ^   "^  C'^  GO   (X    C;^  t-H   'Ci?       1 
Co"  cr:  go'  -*  ci  CO  r-T  -^  r-'  ^  Co"  of      1 
lOr-coC^i-HOCDCDCOCOCDrH       , 
IC  ^  <^^         ^,  '-i  ^^^  i->  c-]   CO   O  CD       1 
CO   I-T  '^          rH  C-T                                I-H               [ 

T-H                                                                                                                             j 

10 

435,731 

2,405 

1.53,181 

2,523,895 

49,291 

4,289.899 

608,561 

2,654,596 

03    rH    O    r«    l.O    in   CO 
CO    -^    rH  W   lO   00   »f5 
ifS    CO    If^   Hji^  tf3^  r-H^  lO 
l--r  rr~  CO    r-T  C-P  -^iT  lA 
05            CO    ■*    rH    Ml 

CO  CO 
rH 

Iuu;erial 

1   ;   1  ,'  ;   1  ;  ;  :   1  1   1   1 

1      1      1      1      1      1      1      1      1      1      1      1      1 
1      1      1      1      1      1      1      1      1      1      1      1      I 

1    1    1    1    1    1    1    1    1 

6,428 

San  Diego 

2,326,961 

21,770 

1,210,249 

341,024 
624 

398,031 

i    i    i    i^ 

i  i  1  ii 



100 

9,127 

126,748 

356 
9,101 

"471" 
243,794 
568,890 

0'';vilg(? 

126 
51,796 

1,042 
1,875 

1    O       1       1   « 

12?     1    IS 

i                § 

i  lis 

1     1       ^ 
1     1        »-' 

in  ^^     1  e^  c-i  in     1 

00   CM      1   CO  CO  00      1 
MH    (M       1           05   00       1 

1        iri  th"    1 

Lo-;  Aiiftele? 

11,225,857 

576,837 

2,533,258 

2,534,433 
50 

132 

2,022 

62,416 

14,610 
2,405 

1,465,499 

i  iss 

1         1    LQ    lO 

i  i5^" 

;    ,  MH  o 

'r      1         '^^ 

270 

49,869 

54,924 

190,315 

1,148,074 

10 

^ifin  T.uis  Obisuo. 
Santa  Barbara, 

137,752 
23,714 

18 
3,005 

3,621 
316,884 

1  iss 

1      1  n*  c-l 

1       1    rH   CO 
1       1           <M 

1       1       i       1   -r-  r»      1 
1       1       1       1   00   ■«       1 

1      1      1     1  -*  MI^    1 

',       1       1      I  (N  iff      ! 

1111     00    ; 

,-HIO<M»Q0CO        1       l-l-OOMi-       1 

c^M,,—  ^r^o     1     ifMOOf^     1 

C    lO    O    O    CO        1        1    lO    '>!  1-^  T-H^       1 

i:t  r-^  Iff  co""  c-r     I     I  1-^  cyj  I-H  Iff     | 

O   CO    ITS   If^                         r-1          lf3               1 

i~                    I-H                1        1                    I-H                1 

^H                  1         ]                                             [ 

1    I-l         1    Cj    >0 

I  '*'     ]       co" 

1            1         *"• 

1   IS  55 

1      1   CO  i> 

1       1    rH   O 

i--   lO 

1       1           '^ 

9,933 

867 

R  426 
6,854 

;         ,         ,  '*  CO 

1     1     1    « 

Santa  Cruz 

1     li-HOoOi     1     iirjcocooi     1 

1       1    (M   lO   CO   CO       1       1   -H^    (M   CO   CO       1 
1       1    CO  J>-   CD  rH       1       1   rH   05   OI   CN       1 

I  1    rH    or  -TP    r-i'       1        1    1-'    ;C    t-"  rH        1 

CO           e                                        CO 

II  rH               1       ,                                     1 

27,504 

9,320 
4,576 

1   O   O   OO 
1    in    CO    r-t 
1    t>    CO   UO 
I            iS  CO 

I            CO 

16,491 

1,113 

305,439 
499,168 

San  Francisco. 
San  Mateo 

icfirti        iCO       ICOOOOCO',.^'*       1 
iClrH        ICO        lOaO^f^CfPr^CO        1 
1    00    C/J        1    00        1    -H^   I^    rH^  CO_^  J-,^  if^       1 

I  i-T          1  rH     I  -,*'       ^-^  cf  CO  of     { 

\     -rtt                       CO         1    rH              O    rH    l^    Ttl         1 
]                      1               ;                  <N   CO  t-   rH       1 

10 
363,613 

122,913 
37,784 

1     CO     1-H          1 

1    !^    00        1 
1    CO    ■'S^       1 
I    QO"  rH        1 
■t~    '*        1 
1    -^                1 

22,495 

4,015 

1,127,029 
1,427,137 

Contra  Costa. 
Alameda 

1       1        1       1       1       1   O-l   (M       1        1       1   ICJ       1 

rx    ci       r        1       1   00       1 

COCOIIICOI 

1       1       1       1       1       1  IV.'  CO       1       1       1              1 
1       1       1       1      1       1  f^    CO       1       1       I             1 

2,540 

i^    C-l         i        1 

'M    rH        II 
CD  i-        I       1 

273 
3,141 

2,262,509 

Tehama.  Glenn. 
Colusa        

1        1       1        1        1       1    O 

OJ 

i  i  is  i  i  ii 

i  i  i    i  i  i  ?5 

Sacramento. 
San  Joaquin 

1       1       1       t       1       1  C-l  CO 

1        1        1       1       ,       1   (M   /^       1       1       1       1       t 
1       1        1       1       1       1   t~   C/J^      1       1       1       1       1 

1       1        1       1       1       1   Lff  rH       I       j        I       1       I 
1       1       I       1       1       1   CO  t^       1       i       j       1       1 

47,634 

2,840 
314,202 

Solano.  Yolo 

lillllrfHCOIIIrHI 
1         1          1         1         1         1    O    (M         1         1         1     r-H         ' 

1 "!'".'''                   ' 

1         1         I         1         1         1    "^   ^        1         1         1                   1 

1    CO       1        1       1 
1    lO       I        1        1 
1-^1       11 

519 
1,732,028 

-Marin 

261,030 
355 

1,218 
808 

3,740,518 
44 
14 

1 1  Iff  1   1 1  i^ 

1       1    lf5       1               1       1    rH 

Mendocino. 
Sonoma,  Lake 

SO 

7,115 
SS,625 

59,945 

108,717 

1,492 
2,899,603 

Del  Xorte. 
Humboldt 

1     1  o     1     1     1     1     1     1      1  Ci;     '     1 
1       1  in      I      1      1      1      1      ■'   CO      1      1 

I  1     rH 1         1     -f         1         I 

II  1         1         1         1         1         1         1    CO"        1         1 

11,498 
19.844 

7,146 
180 

27,057 

13,503 
1,458,162 

a 

Cm 
O 

'Z 

1 

Albacore   

Anchovy   

Barracuda   

Bluefish  

Bocaccio   

Bonito  

€arp   

Catfish  

Chilipepper   

Coalflsh  

Cultus  cod 

Dogfish    

Eels   

Greenfish  

Hake 

TTnlibnt    . 

Hardhead  

Herring  

Kingfish  

Mackerel  

Mullet 

Perch    

Pike    

Pompano   

Rock  bass  

Rock  fish 

Salmon    

Mexican. 


Total. 


M  {~  I— 
r->  r.  1^ 

O   <N    CO 


iS   O 

r-t   I—* 


Imperial. 


2goe5t>t~cofr4!-iinc4tcojoine<iin'*cc 
^o5co^co<^Il^200^-^-coJ^cooo  tc^iot 

»^l-^M;Csr^C?DC'^UOC5I^COOO«ClCCOCO 

S:o<N(Mioi^4ce-T'-rr^i.-<»mif5e!iO'* 


,  f-t  "*  lo  o  CO 

'  Cs)    O   (M  in  t^ 

^  00   IH   US   «5  l£3 


San  Diego 8?  ■"'      S  ' 


S 


i«  en  r-i 


c4  o 

m  i-i 

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I-I  n 


1  rH  lo  in  .:H  05  p>    I   ;JJ 

CO 

m 

o 
3 


W  in   QO  c^  r-*  Cl_  i-^_  ?-  CO 

t>r  ^T  o  c»  cj  ir:"  r-T  f-T  *r" 
f-H  Oi  ci  '^  CJ  x>-  i6 

1-^  OS^  CO  CO  lO 


w  eo  CO 


Orange- 


i-H  in  r-<  ift 

l-H    (M    6J     ^ 

r-  oc  a5 


Los  Angeles. 


■^  o  b-  '^  -^  in  lO 

0>  C5  i-(  «o  in  00  w 

rH  CO  c^)  -^  -^  00 

g'  t^  -^  t^  to  ifi 


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M  ei  on 

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Santa  Barbara, 
Ventura 


S<^> 


Monterey- 


Santa  Cruz- 


San  Francisco. 
San  Mateo 


ce  00 


SI 


Contra  Costa. 
Alameda 


Tehama.  Glenn. 
Colusa 


Sacramento. 
San  Joaquin- 


Solano.  Yolo. 


Marln. 


Menrlocino. 
SDnoma.  Lake- 


Del  Norte. 
Humboldt- 


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96 


CALIFORXTA   FISH    AND   GAME. 


CANNED,     CURED     AND     MANUFACTURED      FISHERY     PRODUCTS     OF     CALI 

FORNIA    FOR    THE    YEAR    1919. 

Compiled   by  the   Department  of  Commercial   Fisheries. 
CANNED. 


Sl)ecli>s  of  f!  h 

Size  of  cans 

San 

DIeKO 

di:*t!ict. 

cases 

San 

Pedro 

district. 

cases 

105 

21,238 

107,822 

15,32.'i 

32 

8 

2,177 

34,654 

17,108 

395 

374 

Monterey 
Bay 

district, 
cases 

Northern 
Califor- 
nia 
district, 
cases 

Total 
cases 

Abalone  -  

lib.    —    .. 

2,873 

2,978 
27,098 

Albacore      .- ..  ..  



1-lb. 

5,862 

37,855 

4,152 

184 

i-lb - 

145,677 

J-lb 

19.477 

Anchovy    

1-Ib. 

216 

Barracuda    

1-lb. 



8 

IBonita 

Mb... 

12 
4.96) 

287 

2,189 

h-]h 

1-lb .... 

1-lb 

3)  .")il9 

17,.3ft'> 

Caviar 

28,236 
1,589 

395 

Herring    

3-oz 

1-lb.  oval  .. 
J-lb.  oval  . 

374 
28  2.36 

1,589 

Mackerel    

l-lb. 

17 

1,995 

6  344 

988 

10 



2  061 

j-lb 

6  3f>l 

1-lb 

988 

Rock  bass 

1-lb 

1-lb.  oval 



10 

Salmon _..  ._.  ... 



102 

725 

1,941 

9,086 

18.fi67 

7,842 

S-'7 

1-lb.  tall 

1.941 

1-lb.  flat  .  . -- 

9,083 

i-lb.  flat  ... 
1-lb.  oval  .. 
lib.  round  . 
1-lb.  tall  .  . 

18.667 

Sardines  

33,594 

113,909 

11,875 

790,724 

946  069 

11  S75 

7,S18 

7,318 
43,551 

J-lb.  oval  .. 
J-lb.  .square. 
J-lb.  roiaid  _ 
1-lb.  round  . 
1-lb.  square, 
l-lb. 

3,878 

9,543 

405 

10 

39,603 

27,713 
17,.ilO 
25,742 
3,213 
31,553 

11,060 

7,207 

128 

34,260 

26  275 

3  223 

7,789 

78,945 

Sliad    . 

4,350 
1,131 

4  350 

Shad  roe      ..  . 

J-lb.  oval  .- 

1  131 

SkipJHck    (striped    tuna) 

Mb 

3199 

S8.229 

2,460 

750 
28,849 
11,351 

3  869 

J-lb 

l-lb... 

67,078 

13,811 

3,.538 
1  905 

Squid 

l-lb. 

3,538 

Tuna       - 

4-lb.. 

1,905 

33,524 

291,4o3 

119,980 

l-lb. 

1,170 

14,5.55 

2,785 

7,407 

12 

19,291 

5 

34  694 

Mb.. 

• 

306  008 

i-lb. 

122,765 

Turtl"       — 

7.407 
362 

V  lloutail    - 

l-lb. 

350 
8,739 

J-lb. 

28,030 

J-lb 

5 

Total  cases  canned 

229,493 

936,969 

821,448 

83,758 

2,071,611 

CALIFORNIA   FISH    AND    GAME. 


97 


DRIED,    SALTED,    SMOKED    AND    MISCELLANEOUS. 


Species  of  fish,  size  or  Quantity 


San  Diego 
district 


San  Pedro 
district 


Albacore  bellies,  smoked,  lbs 

Anchovy,    salt"d,   lbs 

Anchovy,  salted,  .'j-lb.  cans,  21  cans  to  cas°_ 
Anchovy,  saltsd,  5-lb.  cans,  12  cans  to  case. 
Ancliovy,  salted,  24-lb.  cans,  6  cans  to  ease. 
Anchovy,  salted,  12-lb.  cans,  S  cans  to  case- 
Anchovy,  salt"d,  li-lb.  cans,  24  cans  to  case. 
Anchovy.  salt°d.  2J-lb.  cans,  12  cans  to  case- 
Barracuda,    dried,   lbs 

Barracuda,    smoked,   lbs 

Bonito,  salted,  lbs.  

Bonito,  smoked,  lbs.  

Cuttle  fish,  pickled,  lbs 

Herring,  smoked,  lbs.  

Herring,  sugar  cured,  lbs 

Mackerel,   salted,   lbs 

Miscellaneous  fish,   dried,   lbs 

Miscellaneous  fish,  salted,  lbs 

Rollmops,  10-lb.  pails 

Sableflsh,   salted,   lbs 

Sablefish,  smoked,  lbs 

Salachini,  100-lb.  tubs 

Salachini,     65-lb.  tubs 

Salachini,     45-lb.  tubs 

Salachini,    30-lb.  tubs 

Salmon,  mild  cured,  casks* 

Salmon,  hard  salted,  casks* 

Sardines,  dried,  lbs 

Sardines,  salted,  lbs 

Sardines,  smoked,  lbs 

Sardines,  salted,  2ilb.  cans,  12  cans  to  case- 
Sardines,  salted,  31b.  cans,  24  cans  to  ease. 
Sardines,  salted,  5-lb.  cans,  24  cans  to  case- 
Sardines,  salted,  12-lb.  cans,  8  cans  to  case- 
Sardines,  salted,  24-lb.  cans,  4  cans  to  case- 
Sardines,  salted,  34-lb.  kegs 

Sea  bass  (black),  dried,  lbs 

Skipjack,  smoked,  lbs 

Squid,  dried,  lbs 

Tuna,    smoked,   lbs 

Tellowtail,   smoked,   lbs 

Fish  meal,   tons 

Fish,  oil,  gallons 

Number  of  plants 

Number  of  employees 

Estimated  value  of  pack- 

Value    of    plants 


67,102 


4.358 
63,150 


Monterey 
district 


1,800 


2,000 
6S780 
.31  003 

3,800 


51.037 
20,000 


24.842 
45.479 
59,079 


740 


43,982 


26,830 


4,000 
6,007 


2,601 


1,674 

26,791 

15 

1,191 

$2,599,852 

1,100,700 


10,180 

45,933 

5,637 

146,298 

35 

3,928 

$9,694,482 

4,335,657 


No  "them 

California 

district 


242,576 
243 
367 
119 
216' 
200 


24,448 


1.000 
1,450 


15,000 


100 
14,370 

987 
4,020 
1,044 


15,000 
260,500 


20O 
573 
739 
450 
1,600 


1.142 
7.519 

5,4CC 

1,362 
358 


4,153 
30 


2,200 


686,159 


3,331 

300,833 

28 

2.218 

$6,990,566 

1,368,189 


481 

40,340 

21 

905 

$2,132,843 

906,325 


Total 


4  368 

330,174 

243 

367 

119 

216 

200 

1800 

67,102 

2,000 

6S,780 

31  003 

3,800 

1,000 

1,4.50 

24.842 

112,516 

79,079 

1.142 

7,519 

5.400 

100 

16,472 

1,345 

4,020 

5,197 

30 

15,000 

304.482 

2  200 

4.000 

6,207 

573 

739 

450 

1,600 

26,830 

2,601 

686.159 

10.180 

45,933 

11,153 

514,262 

99 

8.242 

$21,417,743 

7,708,871 


"Casks  contain  800  pounds  net. 


98 


CALIFORNIA    FISH   AND   GAME. 


VIOLATIONS   OF    FISH    AND   GAME    LAWS. 
October   1   to   December  31,   1919. 


OfTense 


Game. 

Hunting  without  ]ic'onse 

Refusing-  to  show  li'jcnss  on  dsinand 

Making  false  afliilavit  on  shipin-'nt  of  d?er  hides 

Sliiiiping  dpor  mrat  without   altiiiavit 

Deer— excess  limit— close  S':ason— killing  or  possession 

Female   deer— spike   bucks— fawns— killing   or   possession 

Illegal  deer  hides ^^ 

Hunting  on   posted   grounds 

Night  shooting 

Trapping  without  license— close  season 

Killing  a  mountain  sheep 

Protected  shore  birds- killing  or  possession 

Nongame   birds — killing   or  possession 

Shooting  ducks  from  power  boat  in  motion 

Ducks — excess   limit — close  season 

Quail — close   season — killing   or   possession 

Pigeons— close  season — killing  or  possession 

Doves— close  season— killing  or  possession 

Grouse— close  season— killing  or  possession 

Mudhens— close  season— killing  or  possession 

Cottontail  and  brush  rabbits — close  season 

Total  game  violations 

Fish. 

Angling  without  license 

Fishing  for  profit  without  license 

Striped  bass— underweight  -close  season 

Halibut— underweight— oflering  for  sale— close  season 

Salmon — excess  daily   limit 

Taking  salmon  with  snag  hooks 

Operating  salmon  net  in  closed  district 

Trout— excess   daily   limit — close   season . 

Catfish— undersizo — offering  for  sale 

Failure  to  maintain  fish  screen 

Clams — undersized — excess    limit 

Female  crabs— taking  or  possession 

Abalones— red  and  black— under  and  oversized— taking  or  possession 
Lobsters — under  and  oversized-  close  seasons-taking  or  l)0^session- 

Total  flsh  violations 

Grand  total  flsh  and  game  violations 


Fines 
imposed 


i 
T 
J 
1 
12 
12 


58 


$030  00 

25  CO 

2.5  00 

.50  00 

6";>  00 

8.50  V,{) 


25  00 
V45  00 

20  00 

.30  CO 

1,305  00 

916  00 

1.50  00 

425  00 

950  00 

85  00 

25  00 

25  00 

2.5  00 

110  00 


3,901  00 

$30  00 

110  00 

120  no 

75  00 


100  00 

200  00 

50  00 

20  00 

20  00 

no  00 

20  00 
270  00 
280  (K) 


1,405  00 


370 


$8,306  00 


SEIZURES— FISH    AND    GAME    AND    ILLEGALLY    USED    FISHING    APPARATUS. 


October   1,    1919,   to    December  31.    1919. 


Game. 


Deer  meat  

Quail  

Ducks   

Dove,s  

Pigeons  

Rabbits  

.\vocets  

Kildeer  plover  

Swans 

Sandpipers    

Miscellaneous   birds 
Deer  hides  


I'ouiuls 

1,074 

114 

1,01)7 

18 

2 

17 

4 

28 

5 

18 

103 

6 


Searches. 
Illegal  flsh  and  game 


Fish. 

Pounds 

Striped  ba.ss 6,000 

!-!ulmon    S52J 

Halibut 6,621i 

Trout 78 

Catfish  5 

Sturgeon 39 

Barracuda   3,995 

Mi.seellaneous  fish  33 

Clams   (cockle) 916 

Clams  (Pismo)  456 

Crabs  1,627 

Lobsters   4,752 

■Mialonis 93 

Illegal  nets 3 


CALIFORNIA   FISH    AND    GAME. 


99 


STATEMENT    OF     EXPENDITURES    YEAR 


1919. 


On'jral    arliDinistration    

R'snirfh,   iiuI)licatioii   and  education,. . 

Printing-   

Fish    exhibits    

Game  exhibits 

Taho?  camping  ground 

Mountain   lion    bounti?s 

Lithographing  hunting  licenses 

Litliographing   angling   licenses 

Hunting  license  commissions 

Angling   license   commissions 

Market  fishing  licnse  commissions 

San  Francisco  District 

Sacramento  District   

Los    Angeles    District 

Launch   patrol  

Pros"critions  (fish  and  game) 

Crawfish  inspection  

Winter  game  feeding 

Accident  and  death  claims 

Hatchery  administration  

Mount    Shasta    Hatchery 

Klamath  Station  

Fall  Creek  Hatchery 

Mount  Whitney  Hatchery 

Cottonwood  Creek  Station 

Cottonwood  Lakes  Station 

Tahoe  Hatchery 

Tallac  Hatchery  

Chico  Experimental  Station 

Fort  Seward  Hatchery 

Eel  River  Station 

Ukiah   Hatchery   

Snow  Mountain  Station 

Brookdale  Hatchery  

Scott  Creek  Station 

Feather    River    Hatchery • 

Almanor  Hatchery   

Domingo  Springs  Hatchery 

Clear  Creek  Hatchery 

Bear  Lake  Hatchery 

North    Creek   Station 

Wawona  Hatchery 

Yosemite  Hatchery  

Kaweali  Hatchery  

Fish  transplanting  and   distribution_-- 
Sereens,  flshways  and  water  pollution. 

Special  field   investigation 

Department  of  Commercial  Fisheries. .. 


Totals 


September 


$3,170  98 


931 
316 

483 


37 

r?.o 


2,400 

1,322 

131 

8,161 

5,830 

2,995 

5,993 

15.5 

100 


143 
1,296 
2,977 
1,359 

422 
2,077 


October 


Xoveml)€r 


December 


?2.5-l  00  $2,384  OO 

312  ."8  j  290  24 

1,630  34  I  111  77 

6,110  55  '  3  25 


8  00 
520  00 


315  00 
3,626  SO 
1,471  90 


7.752  01 
5,654  19 
3,079  82 

1.753  47 

oOi  75 
100  00 


278  42 
1,450  51 
1,696  39 
1,151  14 

395  49 
1,878  63 


164 

587 

63 

1,021 


334  10 

5  00 


1,719  25 


8 

151 

30 


50 
33 


7 

321 

203 

1,119 

403 


92  00 

49  25 

147  35 

31  00 


5  00 

57  25 

249  06 

1,432  54 

474  78 


2:0 

1.50 

1,537 

619 


4,095  ZZ 


$51,409  66 


219  01 
92  CO 

4,332  49 
698  84 
150  35 

3,830  81 


3,021  07 


390  00 
300  00 


1,544  60 
1,242  90 


7,045  73 
5,322  42 
3,094  65 
2,280  91 
276  50 
100  00 


202  65 
1,289  72 
2,965  24 

949  72 

818  98 
2,577  64 

236  50 


156  11 
8  00 

29  00 
910  49 

93  25 


11  18 

156  02 

30  00 


5  CO 

84  43 

216  22 

1,229  6-2 

1,559  45 

312  87 

328  29 

17  00 

1,804  39 

583  86 

102  00 

3,775  18 


$2,105  63 
419  05 
178  25 


370  00 


1.090  no 
2,673  90 

2,186  60 

149  .50 

6,684  94 

5,008  57 

2,921  47 

1,141  75 

65  00 

100  PO 


124  04 
1,324  73 
2,135  71 

458  82 

9.39  00 

1,139  97 


40  15 
5  OO 


789  23 


989  17 

257  74 

31  00 


5  00 
8  30 


410  50 
772  36 
133  76 
44  25 
16  60 
319  95 
603  38 


3,255  76 


$44,848  78  I     $38,898  08 


100  CALIFORNIA   FISH    AND    GAME. 


STATEMENT    OF    EXPENDITURES. 

July    1,    1919,   to    December   31,    1919. 

Administration: 

ComuiibSiouers $1,220  59 

Executive  ortieers  14,015  39 

Printing    2,270  70 

Research  and  publicity 2,591  03 

Accid'jnt   and   death   claims 1,159  S8 

Total   administration   .$21,257  56 

Commercial  fish  culture  and  conservation: 

Superintendence $6,333  8J 

Inspection  and  patrol 15,400  37 

Research    - 9,298  34 

Statistics 4,885  79 

Market  fishing  license  commissions 374  00 

Propagation  and  distribution  of  salmon 14,461  25 

Total  commercial  flsh  culture  and  conservation 50,756  64 

Sporting  flsh  culture  and  conservation: 

Superintendence $7,543  07 

Printing    1,599  79 

Prosecutions  and  allowances 72  00 

Angling  license  commissions 8,329  20 

Special  field  investigations 252  35 

Fish   exhibits - 7,167  16 

General  patrol  (pro  rata  share) — 

San  Francisco  District  (40  per  cent) 17,757  55 

Sacramento  District  (40  per  cent) 14,990  67 

Los  Angeles  District  (40  per  cent) 7,030  02 

Propagation  and  distribution  of  sporting  flsh 73,.538  47 

Total  sporting  fish  culture  and  conservation 138,277  28 

Game  conservation: 

Printing - $2,396  07 

Prosecutions  and  allowances - 863  14 

Hunting   license   commissions 12,397  80 

Mountain  lion  hunting 2,837  13 

General  patrol  (pro  rata  share) — 

San  Francisco  District  (60  per  cent)— 26,636  35 

Sacramento  District  (60  per  cent) 22,486  01 

Los  Angeles  District  (60  per  cent) 1 10,545  04 

Total  game  conservation 78,191  54 

Tahoe  camping  ground 2,599  11 

Total  expenditures  — $291,052  13 

Further    information    regarding    details    of    expenditures    will    be    gladly    furnished    upon 
application  to  the  executive  office  of  the  Fish  and  Game  Commission,  San  Francisco,  California. 


2647     4-20     5400 


California  Fish  and  Game 

"CONSERVATION   OF   WILD   LIFE   THROUGH   EDUCATION" 

r  "     ^ 

Volume  6  SACRAMENTO,  JULY,  1920  Number  3 


CONTENTS. 


KING  SALMON  MARKING  EXPERIMENT  AT  KLAMATH  RIVER,  1919. 

IF.  L.  Scofield  101 

GAME  IN  THE  SAN  JOAQUIN  VALLEY  IN  1853 Aiidreto  J.  Grayson  104 

NOTES  ON  DRY-FLY  FISHING— No.  4 R.  L.  21.,  California  107 

EDITORIALS 116 

FACTS  OF  CURRENT  INTEREST 127 

HATCHERY   NOTES 128 

NOTES  FROM  THE  STATE  FISHERIES  LABORATORY 1.30 

CONSERVATION  IN  OTHER  STATES 1.31 

LIFE  HISTORY  NOTES 1.3.', 

UNITED   STATES   FOREST   SERVICE    COOPERATION 1.34 

reports- 
California  Fresh  Fishery  Products loG 

Violations  of  Fish  and  Game  Laws 139 

Seizures   140 

Statement    of    Expenditures 140 


KING  SALMON  MARKING  EXPERIMENT  AT  KLAMATH 

RIVER,  1919. 

By  W.  L.  Scofield. 
Source  of   Eggs. 

The  Chinook  or  kincr  salmon  used  in  this  experiment  were  from  e^afs 
taken  by  Mr.  Hurby  of  the  United  States  Bureau  of  Fisheries  at  the 
substation  on  Mill  Creek,  Tehama  County,  California,  near  the  town  of 
Tehama  about  twelve  miles  south  of  Ked  Bluff.  Mill  Creek  is  a 
tributary  of  the  Sacramento  River.  The  eggs  were  taken  about  the 
latter  part  of  November,  1918. 

Shipping. 

The  eyed  eggs  were  shipped  in  one  shipment  of  1.153,000  eggs. 
Though  originally  billed  to  the  Mount  Shasta  Hatchery,  they  were  not 
unloaded  but  shipped  immediately  to  the  new  Fall  Creek  Hatchery  on 
Fall   Creek  near   Copco,   Siskiyou   County,   about  sixteen  miles  from 


102  CALIFORNIA  FISH  AND  GAME. 

Hornbrook.     The  eggs  were  received  at  the  Fall  Creek  Hatchery  Feb- 
ruary 13,  1919. 

Hatching. 

The  ecru's  were  hatched  at  Fall  Creek  ITatcherv  from  the  middle  to  the 
end  of  February,  1919.  About  July  1,  1919,  25.000  of  these  small  king 
salmon  were  placed  in  the  cement-sided  pond  at  Fall  Creek  Hatchery 
and  the  others  were  liberated  in  Fall  Creek,  which  is  a  tributary  of 
the  Klamath  River,  entering  just  below  the  California-Oregon  Power 
Company  dam  at  Copco.  The  hatchery  is  about  a  mile  up  Fall  Creek 
from  its  mouth. 

Mark   Used. 

The  adipose  and  rigid  ventral  fins  were  removed  by  clipping  off  close 
to  the  body  with  a  pair  of  manicurists'  cuticle  nippers.  The  marking, 
begun  November  3  and  completed  November  15,  1919,  was  done  by  L. 
Phillips  of  the  Department  of  Fish  Culture  and  W.  L.  Scofield  of  the 
Department  of  Commercial  Fisheries  of  the  Fish  and  Game  Commis- 
sion of  California. 

Variation   in   Size. 

Although  from  the  same  brood,  hatchery  practice  and  rearing  poni.1, 
there  was  great  variation  in  the  size  of  the  yearlings  at  the  time  of 
marking,  the  extremes  in  length  being  from  l^^^  to  5  inches,  measured 
from  the  tip  of  the  snout  to  the  tip  of  the  central  rays  of  the  caudal  fin. 
The  small  fish,  roughly  those  under  two  inches  in  length,  were  not 
marked  but  sorted  out  as  the  marking  proceeded.  These  small  fish  were 
liberated  every  day  or  two. 

Counting  and  Separation. 

As  250,000  fish  had  been  counted  into  the  rearing  pond,  no  count 
was  made  of  unmarked  fish  while  marking.  The  marked  fish  were  care- 
fully counted  each  day.  ]\Ir.  Phillips  kept  tally  of  his  work  while 
marking.  ]\Ir.  Scofield  counted  his  work  at  the  end  of  the  half  day. 
In  each  case  at  the  end  of  the  day  the  fish  marked  by  each  person  were 
placed  in  a  separate  trough. 

Liberations. 

The  first  fish  marked  were  held  to  the  end  of  the  fifth  day  in  the 
trough  to  determine  the  effect  of  rough  handling.  As  no  injury  showed 
in  the  fish,  tlie  first  five  days  marking  was  liberated  at  the  end  of  the 
fifth  day  and  from  then  on  the  marked  fish  were  liberated  each  day  or 
two.  All  liberations  were  made  in  Fall  Creek.  November  14  tlie  rear- 
ing pond  was  emptied,  thus  liberating  all  the  unmarked  fish  of  the 
250,000  except  a  few  held  in  the  hatchery  troughs.  The  following  day 
all  remaining  unmarked  fish  were  liberated. 

Control. 

In  order  to  determine  the  possible  percentage  of  fin  regeneration,  a 
sample  of  each  half  day's  marking  was  retained  as  a  control  to  be  held 
in  the  hatchery  trough.     The  control  from  each  person's  marking  was 


CALIFORNIA  PISH  AND  GAME.  103 

held  in  a  separate  trough.  Control  fish  were  obtained  by  dipping  out 
a  few  fish  with  a  net  and  counting  out  fifty  or  so  without  conscious 
selection.  Great  care  was  used  in  this  respect  so  that  the  control  would 
be  exactly  representative  of  the  size  classes  of  marked  fish  in  order  that 
the  control  might  be  used  for  possible  future  study.  The  control 
remained  two  months  in  the  hatchery  troughs  from  the  time  of  marking 
until  the  middle  of  January,  1920.  The  control  fish  were  then  bottled 
in  formalin  and  shipped  to  Professor  J.  0.  Snyder  of  Stanford  Univer- 
sity, being  received  by  him  January  19,  1920.  Through  an  oversight 
when  bottling  the  control  at  the  hatchery,  the  fish  marked  by  Phillips 
and  those  marked  by  Scofield  were  not  kept  separate,  but  since  the 
percentage  of  regeneration  has  been  found  to  be  almost  negligible  this 
attempt  to  determine  the  regeneration  percentage  for  each  person's 
marking  was  scarcely  necessary.  Roughly,  100  of  the  control  marked 
by  Scofield  were  shipped  to  Professor  Snyder  for  his  study  very  soon 
after  the  marking  and  received  by  him  December  1,  1919.  Of  the 
25,850  fish  marked  850,  or  roughly  3  per  cent  of  the  total  were  retained 
as  control,  thus  leaving  an  even  25,000  marked  fish  to  be  liberated. 

Percentage  of  Fin   Regeneration. 

To  determine  the  percentage  of  fins  which  might  be  expected  to 
regenerate,  the  control  was  examined  by  W.  L.  Scofield  in  February, 
1920,  with  the  help  of  Professor  Snyder  and  Mr.  Willis  Rich  of  the 
United  States  Bureau  of  Fisheries.  Of  the  573  specimens  examined 
but  8  or  1.4  per  cent  showed  signs  of  possible  regeneration  and  in  sev- 
eral of  these  cases  the  resulting  ventral  fin  would  probably  be  so 
deformed  as  to  be  recognizable  as  a  mark  when  found  with  a  missing^ 
adipose  fin.  In  no  case  had  the  adipose  fin  shown  any  sign  of 
regenerating. 

Injury    from    Marking. 

But  one  death  was  noted  among  the  marked  fish  soon  after  marking 
and  none  among  the  control  from  November  3  to  15,  1919.  A  report  in 
December  from  the  hatchery  stated  that  the  control  was  apparently 
perfectly  normal  and  healthy  with  very  few  deaths.  A  few  fish  were 
stunned  by  the  rough  handling  while  being  marked  but  when  returned 
to  the  water  would  swim  off  after  about  one  minute  and  show  no 
further  signs  of  discomfort. 

Summary. 

Of  1,153,000  king  salmon  eggs  taken  in  November,  1918,  from  Mill 
Creek  of  the  Sacramento,  and  hatched  at  Fall  Creek  Hatchery  on  the 
Klamath  River  in  February,  1919,  903,000  were  liberated  in  the  Klamath 
about  July  1,  1919,  and  250,000  were  held  in  a  rearing  pond.  In 
November,  1919,  the  250,000  from  the  rearing  pond  were  liberated  in 
the  Klamath  River  after  25,000  of  them  had  been  marked  by  removing 
adipose  and  right  ventral  fins. 


104 


CALIFORNIA  FISH   AND  GAME. 


King    Salmon     Marked    at    Fall    Creek 
Hatchery. 


Pate 


Number  of  fish 
marked 


By 

Scofleld 


By 

Phillips 


1919— Novemb?r     3  243     )       ^  ^^ 

Noveiiib?r    4 !  713     ^ 

November    5  .i  595  1,046 

November    6 -.  760  1,106 

November    7 -.  1,050  1,425 

November    8 800  750 

Novemljer    9  925  1,250 

November  10  I.ICO  1,000 

November  11   1,100  1,200 

November  12 1,350  1,800 

November  13 1.550  1.6.')0 

November  14 1,110  1,500 

November  15 330  325 

Totals   ll,62d  14,224 

Total   marked   25,850 


Control   Counted  Out  from  the  Total. 


Date 


From      '     From 
Scofleld        rhllUps 
marking      marking 


loio — November    6 

50 

50 
100 
125 
50 
25 
25 

50 

Novmber     U      -    

50 

Novpmb°r  10  

Novmber  12 

100 
125 

November  13  

Novpmb'>r  14  

50 
25 

NovTiib'^r  15      

25 

Totals  

;25 

425 

Total  control 

850 

Number  of  Marked   Fish   Liberate 
Creek   In   November,   1919 

i  In  Fall 

Date 


Number 


1919— November    7 — 5,535 

November    8 1,425 

November    9 4,675 

November  10 1,900 

November  12  5,200 

November  13 3,100 

November  14  2,.560 

November  15 605 

Total    — 25,000 


GAME  IN  THE  SAN  JOAQUIN  VALLEY  IN  1853.=^ 

A  Little  Journal  of  Incidents  Whilst  on  a  Surveying  Party  with  von 
Schmidt,  Deputy  Surveyor  under  Colonel  Jack  Hays,  in  the  Fall 
of  1853,  on  the  Tulare  Plains. 

By  Colonel  Andrew  J.  Grayson. 

Meeting  my  friend  von  Schmidt,  a  German  by  birth  but  raised  in  the 
United  States,  and  at  that  time  deputy  surveyor,  one  day  as  I  was  walk- 
ing down  one  of  the  streets  of  San  Francisco,  and  whom  I  hadn't  seen 
for  a  long  time,  I  shook  him  cordially  by  the  hand,  when  he  told  me  he 
was  just  making  preparations  for  a  long  trip  to  the  Tulare  plains  and 
lakes  to  survey  the  Standard  lines  (government  survey),  and  as  I  had 
never  been  in  this  portion  of  California,  and  having  heard  oft  of  the 
great  quantities  of  game  in  this  region  of  the  country  interesting  to  the 


♦Between  the  years  1846  and  1869  there  lived  in  California  a  naturalist  and  artist 
of  so  great  attainment  that  he  became  known  as  the  "Audubon  of  the  Pacific." 
This  naturalist  was  Colonel  A.  J.  Grayson.  Born  in  Louisiana,  on  the  banks  of  the 
picturesque  Ouachita  River,  hemmed  in  by  pine  forests  and  cane  brakes,  Grayson 
spent  most  of  his  boyhood  days  rambling  in  the  woods  or  along  the  banks  of  the 
river.  While  still  a  child  he  manifested  great  talent  in  the  drawing  and  painting 
of  birds  and  the  wild  life  scenes  with  which  he  was  so  intimately  acquainted;  but 
this  was  most  vehemently  discouraged  by  his  parents  and  he  was  sent  away  to 
school  to  learn  to  be  more  practical.  After  finishing  college  young  Grayson  made 
an  attempt  at  business,  but  he  had  no  love  for  the  drudgery  of  mercantile  pursuits. 
He  found  no  pleasure  but  in  the  study  of  nature,  so  he  gave  it  up  and  determined 
to  go  to  California  where  his  longing  for  new  objects  of  study  in  nature's  unexplored 
recesses   might   be   satisfied. 

And  so  it  was  that  about  the  middle  of  .4pril,  1846,  he  found  himself  at  the  head 
of  a  caravan  composed  of  many  well  known  pioneers  setting  out  on  the  long 
overland  journey  to  the  Pacific.     But  as  they  traveled  westward  some  branched  off 


CALIFORNIA   PISH   AND   GAME.  105 

adventurer,  from  the  fact  of  its  never  having  been  but  little  explored 
save  by  the  few  wild  Indians  that  live  about  the  lakes,  I  at  once  pro- 
posed acompanying  him  on  this  interesting  trip.  Von  Schmidt  was  glad 
to  have  me  go,  so  I  made  up  my  mind  to  do  so,  for  I  hadn't  had  a  hunt 
for  a  long  time. 

So  on  the  evening  of  the  sixteenth  of  September,  1853,  we  took  the 
good  little  steamer  "Sophia"  from  San  Francisco  bound  for  Stockton. 
At  Stockton  we  secured  wagon,  mules  and  camping  equipment  and  on 
September  18  our  party  started  on  their  journey. 

At  noon  of  the  second  day  out  we  reached  the  Stanislaus  River — at 
Heath  and  Emery's  ferry — where  we  had  our  lunch,  forded  the  river 
and  took  the  Mariposa  road.  The  day  was  intensely  warm  and  the  road 
heavy  and  dusty,  as  it  wound  through  the  low  hills,  sparsely  covered 
with  oak  and  brush.  After  a  few  miles  we  saw  a  large  track  of  a  grizzly 
which  seemed  to  have  just  crossed  the  road.  After  tracking  him  through 
the  woods  for  a  while  I  came  to  the  conclusion  that  the  old  Growler  had 
made  tracks  to  the  river  to  quench  his  thirst  and  cool  his  hide,  for  the 
day  was  melting  hot  and  the  hills  around  parched.  I  couldn't  conceive 
what  brought  him  so  far  from  water  at  that  time  of  day — and  such 
a  day! 

We  made  an  uneventful  camp  that  night  and  by  sunrise  the  next  day 
(September  20)  were  on  our  way.  We  crossed  the  Tuolumne  River  at 
Dickinson 's  ferry  and  camped  on  a  creek  that  night.  On  September  21 
we  reached  the  Merced  River  at  "Snelings,"  where  we  camped  and 
caught  our  first  fish  and  killed  our  first  game — a  few  quail.  The  fish 
were  full  of  fine  bones — the  same  kind  I  have  seen  in  all  the  fresh  water 
streams  in  California — and  a  very  poor  fish  to  eat. 

Leaving  the  river  about  six  miles  farther  up,  we  proceeded  toward 
the  foothills.  As  yet  we  had  seen  no  game  larger  than  quail,  but  as  we 
advanced  towards  the  wilds  the  country  became  more  interesting.  On 
September  26  we  reached  old  Stearns'  cabin,  where  we  camped.  Here 
I  shot  quail  and  doves  and  one  of  the  boys  killed  a  hare.  On  the  next 
day  we  proceeded  toward  the  Chowchilla  River,  where  von  Schmidt 
received  instructions  from  the  Surveyor  General  and  commenced  his 
surveying  work.  Here  I  went  out  hunting  in  the  low  hills  for  antelope 
and  came  across  a  herd  of  them,  but  they  were  so  wild  I  could  not  get 
near  enough  to  shoot  one.  Later  we  camped  on  the  Fresno,  then  a  dry 
bed,  but  with  a  few  water  holes.  Here  we  saw  a  large  band  of  wild 
horses — probably  fifty  in  number — and  they  went  snorting  and  charging 

in  different  courses,  notably  the  Donner  party;  others  fell  away;  and  finally 
Colonel  Grayson,  with  his  wife  and  child  and  one  horse,  completed  the  journey  alone. 

Almost  needless  to  say.  Colonel  Grayson,  like  almost  evei-y  one  else  in  those 
early  days  of  California,  went  to  the  "diggings"  and  was  so  far  successful  as  to  be 
considered  one  of  the  wealthy  men  of  San  Francisco  at  one  time.  His  attempts  at 
mercantile  pursuits,  however,  proved  failures,  as  before.  The  wilds  called  to  him  and 
he  determined  to  renounce  business  again  and  adopt  the  life  of  a  trapper,  which 
would  afford  him  opportunities  for  the  study  of  ornithology.  One  of  his  best  known 
works  is  his  "Birds  of  the  Pacific  Slope,"  which  is  profusely  illustrated  with 
colored  drawings,  the  work  of  his  own  hand.  So  fine  were  some  of  these  drawings 
that  the  State  Fair  at  Sacramento  awarded  him  a  special  premium  "for  superior 
drawings  of  native  birds  of  California,   exhibited   at   the   Fair,   1855." 

This  noted  artist  and  naturalist,  in  his  various  wanderings  for  the  purpose  of 
studying  wild  life,  accepted  in  1853  an  invitation  from  a  friend  to  accompany  a 
surveying  party  to  the  plains  of  Tulare  County.  The  accompanying  extracts,  slightly 
revised,  are  from  a  diary  kept  by  Grayson  which  refer  to  the  abundance  of  game 
prevalent  in  that  region  at  the  time  of  the  trip.  The  handwritten  journal  is  deposited 
In  the  Bancroft  Library,  of  the  University  of  California,  and  acknowledgement  is 
here  made  of  the  courtesy  of  the  Library  in  allowing  its  publication. — Editor. 


106  CALIFORNIA   FISH   AND   GAME. 

in  a  circle  around  ns,  and  then  away  over  the  plains.     Here  also  I  saw- 
numbers  of  antelope,  but  they  were  too  wild  to  approacli. 

On  September  80  we  forded  tlie  San  Joa(iuin  at  lieals'  [ndian  Farm, 
where  we  caught  salmon  and  other  tish,  which  appeared  in  great  ({uan- 
tities.  Some  five  or  six  miles  up  the  river  we  saw  some  whooping  cranes, 
a  few  ducks,  heard  a  mocking  bird,  and  saw  antelope.  I  shot  a  duck  and 
a  hare. 

On  October  3  and  4  we  passed  over  rolling  land,  running  due  iiortii 
to  the  Fourth  Standard  and  passing  Kings  River  Slough.  On  these 
days  we  saw^  great  numbers  of  antelope  and  wild  horses  and  also  a  silver 
grey  fox — the  tii-st  one  1  had  seen  this  side  of  the  Rockies.  At  Kings 
River  Slough  we  killed  some  bitterns,  also  saw  dueks,  black  curlews  and 
various  other  water  l)irds.  Fishing  also  was  good.  At  this  slough  also 
we  met  Indians,  and  one  of  them  undertook  to  conduct  us  on  a  bunt  for 
elk.  With  our  Indian  guide  w^e  WTut  westerly  toward  the  Tularies, 
between  Kings  River  Slough  and  Kings  River.  These  lands  were 
literally  perforated  by  gophers,  moles  and  other  underground  inhabi- 
tants, and  the  air  was  infested  wath  mosquitoes.  On  this  trip  we  saw 
great  quantities  of  quail,  also  the  tracks  of  a  grizzly,  but  found  nothing 
but  the  signs  of  elk.  Our  Indian  guide,  who  was  on  foot,  while  we  rode 
horseback,  became  tired  out  and  we  returned  to  camp  on  the  slough. 

Von  Schmidt  continued  surveying  operations  along  the  Kings,  during 
which  time  we  saw^  large  herds  of  antelope.  Then  we  proceeded  to  the 
main  branch  of  the  Kaweah  River,  to  Wood vi lie,  the  county  seat  of 
Tulare  County.  All  branches  of  the  Kaweah  abound  with  fish,  and  wood 
ducks  were  plentiful.  Bear  signs  Avere  everywhere  and  we  killed  a  cub 
while  in  the  Kaweah  country. 

Later,  leaving  the  Kaweah  country,  we  continued  to  Tula  Swamp, 
where  we  found  signs  of  elk,  but  no  elk  were  actually  seen.  At  Tula 
Slough  Creek  we  found  quantities  of  fish,  and  I  saw  for  the  first  time 
liere  a  roadrunner.    Here  we  killed  a  few  hares,  the  only  game  seen. 

On  October  16  we  began  our  journey  over  stretches  of  alkaline  desert, 
under  a  sweltering  sun,  and  with  mirages  mocking  us  in  every  direction, 
toward  the  great  Tulare  Lake.  We  reached  this  lake  early  in  the  evening, 
in  time  to  kill  quantities  of  ducks,  snipe,  geese  and  black  curlew  before 
dark.  We  also  killed  two  antelope  and  a  number  of  hare.  We  feasted 
that  night  after  our  desert  travels.  We  found  all  kinds  of  waterfowl, 
antelope  and  hare  in  abundance  around  Tulare  Lake.  And  it  was  here 
that  I  killed  our  first  elk.  AVe  had  gone  on  a  little  excursion  from  the 
lake  (exactly  on  the  line  of  the  Seventh  Standard  Parallel,  about  three 
miles  distant),  when  I  saw  a  herd  of  four  large  buck  elk.  My  first  shot 
brought  one  down,  and  the  others  did  not  seem  frightened  nor  run,  and 
I  am  sure  Ave  could  have  shot  more,  but  Ave  did  not  need  the  meat. 

The  Indians  on  Tulare  Lake  Avere  greatly  perturbed  over  our  visit. 
They  feared  that  we  might  contemplate  squatting  on  their  land.  And 
they  Avere  pleased  when  Ave  told  them  (through  a  Spanish  interpreter) 
that  Ave  had  no  such  intentions.  In  fact,  the  Avliole  country  Ave  liad  trav- 
eled over  since  Ave  left  the  Four  Creeks  (KaAveah  River)  to  Tulare  Lake 
is  totally  unfit  for  any  purpose  and  can  never  be  settled  by  anybody  but 
hunters  or  Indians.  And  we  assured  the  Indians  they  need  not  fear 
squatters,  as  no  Avhite  man  would  ever  want  their  land. 


CALIFORNIA   PISII   AND   GAME.  107 

On  October  31  our  surveying  operations  brought  us  to  the  main  Kern 
River.  Here  we  found  any  quantity  of  elk  and  waterfowl,  and  such  a 
place  for  hunters  I  never  saw  !  The  mallard  duck  abounded,  but  of  every 
description  of  waterfowl  my  pen  could  scarcely  describe  the  numbers, 
or  the  excitement  they  would  create  in  the  breast  of  a  sportsman.  Your 
ears  are  confused  with  the  many  sounds — the  quacking  of  the  mallard, 
the  soft  and  delicate  whistle  of  the  baldpate  and  teal,  the  underground- 
like notes  of  the  rail  or  marsh  hen,  the  flute-like  notes  of  the  wdld  goose 
and  brant,  the  wild  ranting  of  the  heron,  not  to  forget  the  bugle-like 
notes  of  the  whooping  crane  and  swan  and  a  thousand  other  birds 
mingling  their  songs  together — creates  that  indescribable  sensation  of 
pleasure  that  can  only  be  felt  by  one  fond  of  nature  in  its  wildest  and 
most  beautiful  form. 

We  crossed  the  Kern  and  went  on  to  Lake  Buena  Vista.  We  found 
the  immediate  vicinity  of  this  beautiful  lake  on  the  side  of  our  approacli 
(from  the  west)  devoid  of  life,  save  for  the  little  ground  squirrel  and 
the  little  desert  sparrow.  Later,  however,  we  found  great  quantities  of 
white  geese  and  other  waterfowl  of  every  description  on  the  southeast 
shores  of  Lake  Buena  Vista.  In  fact,  so  great  was  the  number  that  out 
of  ten  shots  fired  one  hundred  and  eighty-five  fowl  were  killed. 

It  was  here  at  Lake  Buena  Vista  that  von  Schmidt  completed  his 
surveying  operations  and  we  made  a  quick  and  uneventful  trip  to  our 
homes  in  San  Francisco. 


NOTES  ON  DRY-FLY  FISHING,     No.  4. 

By  K.  L.  M.,   California. 

Scp:ne:  In  the  hills  in  California.  Time:  Fresenl. 

Dramatis  personce: 
Clerk  op  the  Hotel. 
Angler. 
Tourist. 

Clerk:  Here  comes  the  angler.  He  can  tell  you  all  about  that  dry- 
fly  stuff  they  were  discussing  last  night.  Angler,  let  me  make  you 
acquainted  with  Tourist.  He  wants  you  to  tell  him  all  you  know  about 
these  dry-flies. 

Angler:  Well,  I'll  do  my  best.  (To  Tourist.)  Are  you  going  fishing 
today  ? 

Tourist :  No,  my  party  is  going  up  to  Pine  Lake,  and  as  I  have  had 
enough  riding  in  a  miachine  to  last  me  a  long  time,  I'm  taking  a 
day  off  and  going  to  loaf  round  the  hotel — unless  something  better 
turns  up. 

Angler:  How  about  coming  out  with  me,  then?  We  shall  have  the 
whole  day  and  you  can  see  just  how  the  game  is  played. 

Tourist:  1  shall  be  delighted  to  do  so,  and  I  am  sure  I  shall  know 
something  about  dry-fly  fishing  when  the  day  is  over. 


108  CALIFORNIA   FISH   AND   GAME. 

Angler :  Wlien  can  you  be  ready  to  start  ? 

Tourist :  I  am  ready  now.  We  have  only  three  rods  in  the  party,  and 
all  three  are  to  be  used  up  at  the  lake.  All  I  need  is  to  get  a  lunch 
put  up — that  won't  take  me  long. 

Angler:  Well,  let's  pull  out.  We  have  about  half  an  hour's  walk 
before  we  get  to  the  best  part  of  the  river,  but  a  machine  will  bring  us 
back  in  the  afternoon. 

Not  fishing  yourself,  you  will  have  a  good  chance  to  really  find  out 
something  useful  about  the  art.  Usually,  when  anyone  comes  out  with 
me,  they  insist  on  bringing  their  own  rod.  The  result  is,  that  after 
about  five  minutes  of  instruction,  they  want  to  fish  themselves;  as  a 
consequence  they  learn  very  little. 

Tourist:  I  come  from  Idaho.  There  we  have  very  good  fishing,  pro- 
vided you  get  well  away  from  the  towns. 

While  we  were  sitting  around  the  fire  last  night,  this  dry-fly  talk 
came  up ;  it  mystified  me,  for  I  had  never  heard  of  it  before.  Now, 
just  exactly,  what  is  dry-fly  fishing? 

Angler :  I  dare  say  you  have  noticed  that  the  various  insects,  such  as 
flies,  beetles,  or  grasshoppers,  always  float  on  the  surface  of  the  water. 
Now,  the  imitations  of  these  insects,  known  as  artificial  flies,  are  made 
of  silk,  feathers,  fur  and  other  substances.  In  order  to  catch  the  fish, 
these  materials  are  ballasted  with  a  hook.  Now,  as  long  as  we  can 
keep  our  artificial  fly  dry,  it  will  float  on  the  surface  and  thus  be  in 
much  the  same  position  as  the  natural  insect. 

Dry-fly  fishing  simply  consists  of  keeping  the  fly  dry,  and  if  it  gets 
wet,  of  drying  it  again  as  quickly  as  possible. 

Tourist :  It  sounds  simple,  but  how  can  it  be  done  ?  I  know  that  the 
first  time  I  cast  a  new  fly  into  the  water  it  floats,  but  tlie  second  or 
third  cast  sinks  the  fly. 

Angler :  First  of  all,  we  put  some  oil  on  the  fly  to  keep  the  water  oft' 
it.  Then,  we  grease  the  line,  so  that  the  line  itself  will  float.  And 
then,  if  the  fly  does  get  w^et,  which  is  not  exactly  an  uncommon  experi- 
ence, instead  of  returning  the  fly  to  the  water,  on  the  next  cast,  we 
check  the  fly  before  it  gets  there  and  make  a  series  of  false  casts  back- 
wards and  forwards  in  the  air.  These  false  casts  drive  off  any  moisture 
that  has  collected  on  the  fly  and  on  the  line ;  so  that  when  we  do  return 
the  fly  to  the  water,  it  is  practically  as  dry  as  it  was  at  first. 

Tourist:  We  got  in  yesterday  and  had  lunch  at  the  hotel.  After- 
wards, we  drove  down  in  this  direction  and  went  fishing.  I  noticed 
swarms  of  grasshoppers  on  the  water.  The  trout  were  taking  them, 
but  they  would  not  look  at  our  flies.  We  even  caught  some  'hoppers 
and  tried  them,  but  it  was  no  good;  so  we  packed  up  and  came  back 
to  the  hotel.    Why  was  it  we  couldn  't  catch  any  fish  ? 

Angler:  Well,  when  you  tried  flies,  you  were  trying  to  coax  the  fish 
away  from  a  very  tempting  morsel — viz,  the  grasshopper — with  some- 
thing that  did  not  attract  them  at  all.  And  when  you  used  grass- 
hoppers, I  dare  say,  you  noticed  that  your  grasshoppers  always  sank 
below  the  surface  of  the  water,  whereas  an  unhooked  'hopper  floated 
on  the  surface.  Then  again,  the  leaders  you  were  using  may  have  been 
too  heavy  or  thick.  These  trout  are  very  wise.  They  are  fished  for 
continuously  all  through  the  season;  it  is  only  natural  to  suppose  that 


CALIFORNIA   PISH   AND   GAME. 


109 


they  learn  a  little  by  bitter  experience.  If  you  could  have  kept  your 
'hoppers  on  top  of  the  water  and  made  them  float  with  the  stream 
in  a  natural  manner  you  would,  in  all  probability,  have  gotten  some 
fish.  f        _  - 

Tounst :  We  are  getting  near  where  we  were  yesterday.  I  recognize 
that  grove  of  pine  trees,  but  I  don't  see  as  many  grasshoppers  in  the 
air  as  I  did  yesterday. 

Angler:  It  is  a  little  early  yet.     In  an  hour's  time  you  will  see  just 
as  many  flying  as  you  did  yesterday- 
Well,  here  we  are  at  the  river. 


Fig.  29.      Proper  knot  for  tyinK'  lai-ge  fly  hook  to  leader. 

There  surely  aren't  many  'hoppers  floating  down  yet.  But  we 
needn't  worry,  there  will  be  hundreds  later  on.  In  the  meantime,  I 
will  put  my  rod  together  and  get  ready  for  the  fray. 

Tourist :  I  notice  that  you  have  put  your  reel  on  with  the  handle 
pointing  to  the  left.     Are  you  left  handed? 

Angler :  No,  but  I  hold  the  rod  with  my  right  hand  and  wind  up  the 
line  with  the  left.  It  is  awkward  at  first,  but  one  soon  gets  used  to  it, 
and  I  need  not  point  out  the  advantage  of  being  able  to  wind  up  the 
line  without  having  to  change  the  rod  to  the  left  hand,  as  you  will  see 
so  many  people  doing. 

Tourist:  How  long  is  that  leader?  Isn't  it  rather  too  light  to  handle 
a  good  sized  fish? 

Angler:  The  leader  is  9  feet  long.  Although  it  only  has  a  breaking 
strain  of  24  pounds,  it  is  quite  strong  enough  for  the  average  big  fish 


Fig.   30.     The  "turle"   knot,  one  often  used. 

hereabouts.  I  do  not  expect  to  get  anything  much  over  5  pounds. 
Of  course,  if  one  got  hold  of  a  really  big  fish,  such  as  10  or  11  pounds, 
one  would  have  to  be  extra  careful,  but  with  ordinary  luck  and  man- 
agement, it  is  not  impossible  to  land  a  large  trout  on  a  leader  such  as 
this. 


110 


CALIFORNIA    FISH    AND   GAME. 


Let  US  sit  down  here  and  watch  up  and  down  stream  for  the  first 
sign  of  a  feeding  fish. 

Tourist:  Why  not  begin  fishing  now? 

Angler:  Until  you  see  the  fish  feeding  on  top,  it  is  not  much  good 
trying  to  get  them  with  a  fly.  But  in  a  very  short  time  you  will  see 
grasshoppers  floating  down  stream  and  the  flsh  will  begin  to  feed. 


Fig.    31.     Jam  knots  for  tying  small  fly  hooks  to  leader. 

Tourist :  What  kind  of  a  fly  are  you  going  to  use  ? 

Angler:  This  one  here.  I  call  it  "the  floating  grasshopper  fly,"  and 
altliough  it  does  not  look  very  much  like  a  real  'hopper  when  it  is 
iloating  on  the  surface,  it  has  a  strong  resemblance  to  a  grasshopper  in 
a  similar  position. 

Tourist,:'  How  do  you  tie  the  fly  on  to  the  leader? 

Angler :  There  are  several  knots  that  can  be  used.  This  first  knot  is 
the  best  for  larger  flies  (fig.  29 j  ;  then,  there  is  this  one  (fig  30) 
knoAvn  as  the  "turle"  knot,  and  finally  the  two  jam  knots  (figs.  31 
and  32).     These  last  two  are  used  for  small  flies. 

Now,  I  will  make  a  cast  on  that  shallow  water;  you  will  notice  how 
the  fly  floats  and  you  must  admit  that  it  does  look  like  a  grasshopper. 

'Tourist :  Yes,  the  resemblance  is  very  strong.  I  see  your  line  is  float- 
ing as  well. 

Angler:  If  you  remember,  after  I  had  put  my  rod  together  and 
threaded  the  line  through  the  guides,  I  pulled  oft:  about  40  feet  and 
nibbed  the  line  down  with  this  little  pad  which  is  anointed  with  deer 


a. 


&. 


Fig.  32.     A  simple  jam  knot  suitable  for  fastening  a  small  fly  hook  to  leader. 

fat.  That  is  what  makes  the  line  float,  and  if  the  line  did  not  float  it 
would  be  much  more  difficult  to  either  keep  the  fl}^  dry  or  to  sail  the 
fly  accurately  clown  over  a  feeding  fish.  Now,  I  wnll  drown  the  fly. 
It  is  quite  wet  now,  but  just  watch  while  I  dry  it.  I  make  the  forward 
cast— but  w^ell  up  in  the  air — and  before  the  fly  has  time  to  fall  on 
the  water  I  make  the  back  stroke  again.  I  do  this  several  times. 
Finally,  I  cast  the  fly- — you  see  it  is  dry  now— and  it  floats.  Watch  it. 
Tourist :  That  looks  easy  enough ! 


CALIFORNIA    PISH   AND   GAME.  IH 

Angler :  AVould  you  care  to  try  ?  But  before  you  do,  just  watch  me 
again  and  note  that  I  allow  the  line  to  become  fairly  well  extended  both 
in  front  and  behind  before  I  make  the  next  stroke.  Then,  too,  I  must 
caution  you  to  make  your  strokes  with  deliberation  and  only  to  use  the 
wrist  and  forearm  when  casting.    Now  try. 

Tourist :  Well,  what  happened  then  ?  "What  made  the  line  strike  the 
water  ? 

Angler:  You  made  your  forward  stroke  too  long.  In  other  words, 
you  should  have  checked  the  rod  before  it  had  gone  very  far  beyond  the 
vertical.    Shorten  the  line  a  bit  and  try  again. 

Tourist :  That  is  better.  I  seem  to  be  getting  on  to  it  now.  What  was 
that  splash  over  there,  just  below  that  willow  ? 

Angler:  That  was  a  fish.  We  will  let  him  have  a  few  more  real 
'hoppers  before  we  try  him  with  an  imitation  one.  Until  the  fish  are 
feeding  steadily,  they  are  rather  particular  as  to  what  they  take,  but 
as  soon  as  they  have  taken  a  few  'hoppers  without  auy  accidents  they 
are  willing  to  look  at  a  fly. 

Tourist :  Did  you  see  that  ?    He  took  another. 

Angler:  Let's  crawl  up  and  get  a  little  closer  to  him — never  cast  an 
inch  further  than  you  have  to.  Now  we  are  in  position.  Watch  closely 
and  see  just  where  he  takes  down  the  'hoppers.  There,  he  got  that 
one  all  right !  Now,  run  your  eye  up  along  the  surface  for  two  or  three 
feet  and  locate  the  spot  where  the  fly  should  fall  so  that  it  will  float 
over  the  spot  where  the  fish  took  that  last  'hopper.  Well,  that  place 
up  stream  is  where  our  fly  must  fall  so  that  it  will  come  down  over 
Mr.  Fish  in  a  natural  manner. 

Tourist :  There,  he  has  taken  another ! 

Angler:  Well,  here  goes.  We'll  try  for  him.  I  make  a  preliminary 
cast  in  the  air  just  above  the  surface  to  see  if  my  line  is  long  enough 
or  otherwise.  Not  quite  enough,  so  I  will  pull  ofl^  a  little  more;  that 
is  about  right.    Now  watch  the  fly.    It  is  getting  close.    Yes !  He  has  it ! 

Tourist :  That  is  a  good  fish.     See  him  jump  ? 

Angler:  Will  you  land  the  fish  when  I  bring  it  in?  Put  the  net  well 
down  into  the  water,  and  with  one  motion  lift  the  net  and  scoop  out 
the  fish. 

Tourist :  All  right,  give  me  the  net. 

Angler :  All  ready  1     Here  comes  the  fish. 

Tourist:  Say,  that  fish  must  weigh  two  pounds.  Why  don't  you 
bring  it  in? 

Angler :  Never  try  to  land  a  fish  until  it  is  all  in,  because  if  you  do, 
in  its  struggles,  it  is  very  liable  to  catch  the  leader  on  the  net  and  then 
it  will  break  loose. 

Tourist:  How  can  you  tell  when  the  fish  is  played  out? 

Angler:  Whenever  you  see  a  fish  turn  on  its  side,  it  is  a  sign  that  the 
fight  is  over.  See  that !  He  showed  his  side  then.  He  is  almost  fin- 
ished. Here  he  comes.  Take  your  time  and  don't  get  excited.  Well 
done  !    You  've  got  it  all  right. 

Tourist :  Why  do  you  knock  the  fish  on  the  head  ? 

Angler:  To  kill  it.  It  not  only  puts  an  end  to  the  fish's  sufferings, 
but  the  fish  will  keep  better. 

Tourist :  How  much  does  it  weigh  ? 

Angler :  One  and  a  half  pounds. 


112  CALIFORNIA   PISH   AND   GAME. 

Tmcnst:  Is  that  all?    I  should  have  thotiiiht  it  was  fully  two  pounds. 

Angler:  You  will  notice  now,  there  are  many  more  'hoppers  on  the 
water,  and  look,  you  can  see  fish  feeding  on  them  all  up  and  down  the 
river.     See,  tliere  is  a  fisli  I  want  you  to  catch. 

Tourist:  Now,  tell  me  just  what  to  do.    Where  shall  I  drop  the  fly? 

Angler :  The  current  is  a  little  stronger  here,  so  you  had  better  drop 
the  fly  about  three  feet  above  the  fish.  To  be  exact,  just  in  line  with 
that  little  willow  shoot.  But,  before  you  make  your  cast  just  cast 
well  off  to  one  side,  where  there  will  be  no  danger  of  frightening  the 
fish,  so  as  to  see  how  the  line  is  for  length. 

Tourist:  The  fly  has  sunk.     Wh.y  was  that? 

Angler:  I  expect  you  aimed  at  a  spot  on  the  surface,  whereas,  you 
should  have  tried  to  cast  your  fly  in  the  air  so  as  to  strike  a  spot  about 
a  foot  above  the  surface.  Then,  the  fly  would  have  fallen  on  the  water 
gently.  .        , 

Tourist:  Will  3'ou  dry  the  fly? 

Angler :  All  right,  but  watch  mc  closely.  I  throw  the  fly  straight  out 
in  front,  then  back  and  keep  it  moving  quickly.  Now  it  is  dry.  Try 
again. 

Tourist :  That  is  in  the  right  spot.  Here  it  comes  over  the  fish  ;  no 
good. 

Angler:  You  made  a  mistake  then.  When  your  fly  has  passed  over 
a  feeding  fish  without  any  notice  l)eing  taken  of  it,  let  the  fly  float 
well  down  below  the  fish  before  you  lift  the  line  off  the  water. 

Tourist:  Shall  I  try  again? 

Angler :  No,  I  guess  that  fish  is  scared.  We  will  move  on  and  try  for 
that  fish  that  has  just  made  such  a  splash  behind  that  weed.  "But  don't 
try  from  above ;  get  below  the  fish  and  cast  up  stream. 

Tourist:  How  is  this?    I  think  I  can  reach  him  from  here. 

Angler:  Take  your  time;  wait  till  the  fish  has  taken  another  'hopper; 
then  you  can  locate  him  exactly. 

Tourist :  There,  he  got  that  one,  so  here  goes  the  fly. 

Angler:  Ah,  that  ought  to  get  him.  lie's  got  it!  But  what  did 
you  do? 

Tourist :  The  leader  broke  and  the  fly  is  gone. 

Angler:  I  expect  you  struck  too  hard.  AVcll,  let  us  move  down  a 
bit  wliile  I  tie  on  another  fly. 

When  you  strike  a  fish  do  not  strike  as  though  you  wanted  to  throw 
the  fish  out ;  just  make  a  slight  upward  motion  with  the  rod  and  as 
soon  as  you  feel  any  resistance  check  the  motion;  tlien,  keep  a  tisxht 
line  on  the  fish,  but  do  not  try  to  see  how  much  strain  the  tackle  will 
stand;  just  keep  an  even  strain  on  the  fish  and  keep  the  fish  moving. 

Striking  is  really  the  most  difficult  thing  to  become  proficient  in. 
If  we  were  using  ordinary  gut,  which  is  two  or  three  times  stronger 
than  what  we  are  using,  it  would  be  much  easier  to  successfully  hook  a 
fish;  but  the  stouter  gut  would  be  much  more  visible  to  the  fish  and 
in  all  probability  we  should  not  have  many  opportunities  to  strike  at 
a  rising  fish. 

Another  thing  to  remember  is  this,  big  trout  should  not  be  struek 
as  quickly  as  you  would  strike  smaller  fish.  The  movements  of  the 
larger  fish  are,  to  a  certain  extent,  deliberate.  As  a  rule,  there  are  no 
very   near  neighbors   who   might  snatch   the   tempting  morsel   away. 


CALIFORNIA   PISH   AND   GAME.  113 

Whereas,  a  small  fish  has  generally  numerous  relatives  close  by,  ali  of 
whom  are  on  the  lookout  for  anything  that  looks  good. 

Now  come  carefully  round  this  piece  of  brush  and  get  down  and 
crawl  up  towards  the  bank. 

Tourist :  Well,  look  at  that  fish,  you  can  see  the  spots  on  him.  Try 
and  catch  him. 

Angler:  Wait  a  minute;  let's  watch  him  feed;  maybe  we  can  learn 
something  useful  by  watching  him.  If  you  notice,  there  is  a  patch  of 
weed  that  comes  almost  to  the  surface.  This  restricts  the  stream  and 
makes  a  little  stretch  of  sharp  current  close  under  the  bank.  The  fish 
keeps  his  position  just  at  the  lower  end  of  this  sharper  stream  and 
faces  up  stream  watching  for  'hoppers.  Here  comes  a  'hopper.  See 
the  fish  move  a  little  to  one  side.  Then  see,  just  at  the  right  moment 
he'll  come  to  the  surface  and  take  it  down. 

Tourist:  That  certainly  is  a  fine  fish;  look  at  him-!  Say,  try  and 
catch  him. 

Angler:  All  right,  here  goes.  Well,  did  you  see  that?  There  was  a 
real  grasshopper  a  little  nearer  the  fish  than  my  fly  was  and  he  took 
that  and  never  even  noticed  the  fly. 

Well,  I'll  try  again  when  there  are  no  real  'hoppers  in  sight  to  dis- 
tract his  attention. 

Now  is  the  time :  watch  the  fly. 

Tourist :  Good,  he 's  taken  it. 

Angler:  Keep  down;  don't  show  yourself  to  the  fish  till  you  have  to. 
You  go  down  to  that  point  of  gravel  and  I'll  bring  the  fish  in.  But 
don't  stand  up  till  you  have  the  fish  in  the  net. 

Tourist :  He  is  trying  to  get  into  those  weeds. 

Angler:  Yes,  he  knows  that  once  there,  he  has  a  good  chance  of 
getting  off. 

He's  beginning  to  get  tired  now,  but  as  this  is  a  good  sized  fish  I 
shall  not  bring  him  in  until  he  is  quite  worn  out. 

See  that?  He  turned  on  his  side ;  but  it's  not  quite  time  yet,  he  has 
straightened  up  again.  However,  it  won't  be  long  now.  There,  put 
the  net  down  low  in  the  water  and  I  will  bring  the  fish  in. 

Tourist:  Say,  that's  some  fish!    See  what  he  weighs. 

Angler:  Three  and  a  quarter  pounds,  and  only  IS^  inches  long. 

Now,  I  want  you  to  catch  something.  Before  we  begin  fishing 
again,  I'll  break  the  fly  off  and  tie  it  on  again. 

Tourist :  Why  do  you  do  that  ? 

Angler:  Because  the  gut  has  necessarily  become  weakened  at  the 
knot.  Also  you  see  how  slimy  and  wet  the  fly  is.  It  does  not  look 
as  though  it  would  ever  be  dry  again.  I'll  just  slam  the  fly  onto  the 
water  and  jerk  it  through  a  few  times;  that  will  wash  the  slime  off. 
Next  I'll  press  the  fly  between  this  little  pad.  It  is  almost  dry  now, 
but  to  complete  the  drying  process,  while  we're  walking  down  to 
the  next  feeding  fish  I'll  make  some  false  casts  in  the  air.  I  am  going 
to  cast  the  fly  on  that  shallow  Avater.  What  did  I  tell  you?  It's 
absolutely  'bone  dry'  again. 

Tourist :  What  is  that  little  pad  made  of  ? 

Angler:  It  is  a  piece  of  amadou,  which  is  a  fung-us  with  the 
properties  of  absorbing  moisture  very  rapidly. 


114  CALIFORNIA   FISH   AND   GAME. 

Tourist :  Something  like  blotting  paper  ? 

Angler:  Yos,  only  with  greater  powers  of  absorption  than  any 
blotting  paper  that  was  ever  made. 

Now  tlien,  hei-e  is  a  fish  you  must  get.  There  is  just  enough  stream 
to  rufile  the  surface  a  bit,  but  it  is  a  steady  stream  so  that  you  can 
cast  a  straight  line  and  not  have  any  reason  to  expect  a  drag. 

Tourist:  What  is  a  'drag'? 

Angler:  A  'drag'  is  that  which  results  from  the  line  moving  faster  <»r 
slower  than  the  %.  If  a  line  is  cast  in  sucli  a  way  as  to  make  tlie 
fly  draw  or  pull  against  the  current  and  thus  leave  a  wake  behind  it, 
the  tly  is  said  to  'drag.'  I  dare  say,  you  have  observed  that  real 
flies  and  other  insects  hardly  ever  do  this.  A  wary  trout  miglit  ju.st 
be  on  the  point  of  taking  a  liy,  but  if  the  fly  suddenly  began  to  move 
across  the  surface  leaving  a  track  behind  it,  the  suspicions  of  the 
fish  would  be  aroused  and  in  all  probability  he  would  have  none  of 
your  fly.  However,  this  fi.sh  is  easy  of  accass  and  there  is  not  much 
danger  of  drag.  Make  your  fly  fall  on  the  water  about  two  feet  above 
the  spot  where  he  took  down  the  last  'hopper !  Above  all,  when  he 
takes  the  fly  strike  him  gently,  as  though  you  loved  him.    Now  go  to  it. 

Tourist :  That  seems  a  good  east  ])ut  the  fish  is  taking  no  notice  of 
the  fly. 

Angler:  Wait  a  few  moments  before  you  cast  again;  if  you  are  not 
in  a  great  hurry  wait  until  he  has  taken  another  real  'hopper. 

Tourist:  There,  he  took  that  one.     I'll  try  him  with  the  fly  again. 

Angler:  Good  cast.  Keep  your  eye  on  the  fly.  Oh,  he  has  it!  Well 
done — you  have  hooked  him. 

Take  your  time.  Don't  get  flurried,  I  will  land  him  when  you  bring 
him  in. 

Tourist :  He  seems  tired  out,  so  make  ready.  Now,  I'm.  going  to  pull 
him  in  toward  you. 

Angler :  Well,  well,  that  is  certainly  a  nice  fish — two  and  a  quarter 
pounds — and  the  first  you  ever  caught  on  a  dry-fly. 

Tourist:  I  shall  have  something  to  tell  the  rest  of  the  party  when  I 
meet  them  tonight. 

Angler:  It  is  only  two  o'clock,  and  the  machine  won't  show  up  for 
another  half  hour.  We  have  caught  as  many  fish  as  the  law  permits,  not 
large  in  numbers,  but  a  full  ten  pounds;  so  while  we  are  waiting  for 
the  machine  I  will  give  you  a  few  more  pointers. 

As  I  have  explained,  the  grasshopper  fly,  which  we  were  using,  floats 
on  its  side  very  much  as  the  real  insect  does. 

Water  bred  flies,  on  which  trout  feed,  float  on  the  surface  with  their 
wings  up  in  the  air.  I  will  now  put  on  an  olive  dun;  we  need  not 
expect  anj^  fish  to  look  at  it,  because  they  are  far  too  much  taken  up 
with  the  grasshoppers  at  present. 

Now,  will  you  go  up  stream  about  forty  feet  and  kneel  down  and 
watch  the  water  closely? 

Tourist:  IIow  will  this  do? 

Angler:  That  is  just  about  right.  Now  watch  the  surface;  I  will 
drop  the  fly  about  three  feet  from  the  bank.  When  you  see  the  fly  on 
the  water  tell  me  if  you  notice  anything  at  all  about  it. 


CALIFORNIA   PISH  AND   GAME.  115 

Tourist:  Why,  the  fly  is  floating  with  its  wings  up  in  the  air  just 
like  the  real  thing.    How  did  you  do  that  ? 

Angler :  Now  watch  me  make  a  cast.  Instead  of  making  the  backward 
and  forward  strokes  in  a  vertical  i)lane,  that  is,  the  overhead  cast  which 
we  used  with  the  grasshopper  fly,  I  make  the  strokes  in  a  horizontal 
plane,  which  throws  the  line  out  sideways,  and  the  fly  curves  around 
and  for  a  moment  the  line,  leader  and  fly  are  motionless  over  the  water ; 
then  they  fall  gently,  and  the  fly  falling  by  its  own  weight  naturally 
assumes  an  upright  position  and  floats  with  its  wings  'cocked  up.^ 

Tourist:  Why  won't  the  overhead  cast  do  that  as  well  as  the  hori- 
zontal cast? 

Angler:  Because,  no  matter  how  carefully  we  cast,  there  is  always  the 
chance  that  the  line  will  still  have  some  slight  momentum  left  in  it 
from  the  cast;  this  motion,  no  matter  how  slight,  may  be  enough  to 
topple  the  fly  over  on  its  side.  On  the  other  hand,  the  horizontal  cast 
throws  the  line  out  over  the  water,  the  line  becomes  extended  and  for 
a  fraction  of  a  moment  all  movement  ceases,  then  gravity  begins  to 
act  and  the  fly  falls  very  lightly  on  the  surface,  as  you  have  seen. 
Now  come  and  try  to  do  as  I  did. 

Tourist :  Let  me  see  you  do  it  again.     All  right,  now  let  me  have  a 

try. 

Angler:  Try  and  see  how  close  you  can  make  your  fly  come  to  that 
little  bit  of  rush  that  shows  above  the  surface.  You  overshot  the  mark 
that  time ;  the  fly  curled  round  too  far. 

Tourist:  What  made  it  do  that? 

Angler:  You  put  just  a  trifle  too  much  force  into  the  cast.  Try 
again. 

Tourist:  It  was  way  this  side  of  it.  I  guess  I  didn't  cast  quite  hard 
enough  that  time.    Ah!  That  is  better.    You  try  again. 

Angler :  This  cast  is  much  harder  to  do  accurately  than  the  overhead 
cast,  but  when  you  once  learn  it  well,  it  is  astonishing  how  simple  it 
becomes. 

Tourist  I  Why,  the  fly  fell  within  three  inches  of  the  rush ;  I  wish  I 
could  do  that. 

Angler:  You  will  soon  pick  up  the  knack  with  practice,  but  watch 
this  cast.  This  is  the  back-handed  cast.  It  is  the  same  as  the  horizontal 
cast  only  is  made  on  the  left  hand  side.  The  stroke  somewhat  resembles 
a  back-handed  stroke  at  lawn  tennis,  hence  its  name.  It  looks  difficult, 
but  comes  just  as  easy  as  the  other  with  practice. 

Tourist :  Well,  here  comes  the  machine,  and  I  must  thank  you  for  a 
most  enjoyable  and  instructive  day. 

Angler:  I  am  glad  you  got  some  benefit  from  my  teachings,  and  1 
hope  you  will  become  a  highly  proficient  dry-fly  man  in  the  years  to 
come. 

Tourist :  It  certainly  is  a  gi*eat  sport.  It  has  added  to  the  charm  of 
fly-fishing  in  a  way  that  I  thought  hardly  possible.  I  should  like  you 
to  meet  the  rest  of  my  party. 

Angler:  I  will  come  over  to  the  hotel  after  supper,  about  eight 
o'clock,  but  you  had  better  take  these  fish,  as  there  is  just  a  chance  that 
your  crowd  have  not  caught  anything  up  at  Pine  Lake;  even  if  they 
have,  stream  fish  are  always  better  eating  than  lake  fish. 

Tourist :  Thanks  very  much.  I  have  been  hungry  for  trout  for  some 
time.    Well,  so-long  till  thLs  evening. 


116 


CAI^IFORNIA   FISH   AND   GAME. 


CALIFORNIA  FISH  AND  GAME 


A  publication  devoted  to  the  conserva- 
tion of  wild  life  and  published  quarterly 
by  the  California  State  Fish  and  Game 
Commission. 

Sent  free  to  citizens  of  the  State  of  Cali- 
fornia. Offered  in  e.\change  for  ornitho- 
logical, mammalogical  and  similar  period- 
icals. 

The  articles  published  in  California 
Fish  and  Game  are  not  copyrighted  and 
may  be  reproduced  in  other  periodical.s, 
provided  due  credit  is  given  the  California 
Fish  and  Game  Commission.  Editors  of 
newspapers  and  periodicals  are  invited 
to   make   use   of  pertinent   material. 

All  material  for  publication  should  be 
sent  to  H.  C.  Bryant,  Museum  of  Verte- 
brate Zoology,    Berkeley,   Cal. 

JULY   26,    1920. 


"The  man  who  illegally  takes  game  or 
fish  decreases  food  resources  and  de- 
frauds   his    country." 

A  NEW  EXECUTIVE  OFFICER 

Since  our  last  publication  Mr.  Charles 
A.  Vogelsang  has  succeeded  Mr.  Carl 
Westerfeld  as  Executive  Officer  of  the 
Commission.  This  change  Is  not  regret- 
table in  and  of  itself,  for  Mr.  Vogelsang 
has  had  years  of  previous  experience  in 
the  office  he  now  holds,  and  has  always 
enjoyed  a  deserved  popularity  for  ability 
and  zeal  in  the  performance  of  his  duties. 
No  better  appointment  could  have  been 
made. 

The  only  regret  arises  from  the  fact 
that  Mr.  Westerfeld's  conduct  left  the 
Commission  no  alternative  course  except 
declaring  his  position  vacant.  A  majority 
of  the  Board  had  long  been  convinced 
that  a  continuance  of  Mr.  Westerfeld's 
services  was  not  desirable.  He  became 
dissatisfied  with  his  salary  and  devoted 
time  due  to  the  State  to  the  maintenance 
and  upbuilding  of  a  private  law  practice 
and  used  the  Commission's  rooms  and 
stenographer's  services  to  that  end.  His 
lack  of  interest  was  soon  reflected  In  the 
laxity  of  his  subordinates;  in  view  of 
which  the  majority  of  the  Board  came  to 
feel  that  a  change  in  the  office  of  Execu- 
tive Secretary  was  absolutely  essential. 

He  was  so  advised  and  was  accorded 
two  months  time  in  which  to  arrange  for 
his  retirement.  At  the  end  of  that  period. 
Instead  of  resigning,  he  preferred  public 
charges  against  Commissioners  Newbert 
and  Connell,  the  burden  of  which  was 
that  they  were  criminally  responsible  for 
the  mishandling  of  State  moneys.  It  was 
not,  of  course,  charged  that  they  had 
embezzled  of  misappropriated  any  of 
these  moneys;  that  would  have  been  too 
preposterous.  The  charge  was  that  they 
did  not  remit  to  the  State  Treasury, 
month  by  month,  all  moneys  arising 
from  the  sale  of  licenses,  as  the  law 
requires. 

The  answer  of  the  Commissioners  was 
prompt  and  complete — that  they  had 
deposited  these  various  license  funds 
when,  and  as  they  actually  became  State 
funds — that  canners'  licenses,  kelp  and 
fisheries  tonnage  taxes,  sold  directly  by 
the      Commission,     were      remitted      upon 


receipt;  but  that  hunting  and  angling 
licenses,  retailed  for  the  greater  con- 
venience of  sportsmen  through  a  large 
number  of  so-called  "Resale  Agents." 
were  only  to  be  considered  as  State  funds 
after  final  settlements  with  such  agents, 
as  they  were  entitled  to  refunds  for  all 
licenses  returned  unsold,  and  their  com- 
missions could  only  be  computed  upon 
their  actual  sales.  In  this  interpretation 
of  the  law  and  of  their  duties,  the  Com- 
missioners were  wholly  justified  and  fully 
exonerated  by  an  opinion  of  the  Attorney 
General  of  the  State  delivered  in  response 
to  the  Governor's  request  for  a  construc- 
tion of  the  law. 

Manifestly,  but  one  course  was  open  to 
the  Board  after  such  a  baseless  attack  by 
a  subordinate,  and  Mr.  Westerfeld  was 
ousted   from   office. 

F.    M.    NEWBERT. 

M.   J.   CONNELL. 

OPTIMISM     VERSUS     PESSIMISM. 

\\'('  all  athiiire  llic  Dptiinist,  the  man 
who  believes  that  all  is  going  well  in 
spite  of  adverse  conditious,  but  some- 
times an  "all's  well  with  the  world" 
attitude  develops'  apathy  and  a  disregard 
of  the  need  of  roadjustnient  or  reform. 
There  are  many  sporl.smou  who,  iu  spite 
of  circumstantial  evidence,  glibly  point 
out  that  game  conditions  are  of  the  very 
best,  that  same  is  continually  on  the 
increase,  and  that  there  is  no  need  for 
worry  as  to  the  futui-e.  Too  much  of 
this  sort  of  optimism  prevents  an  awak- 
ened public  sentiment  which  would  be 
favorable  to  an  improvement  of  condi- 
tions. 

Although  pessimism  may  sometimes 
mean  a  reduction  of  income  from  the 
sale  of  hunter's  and  angler's  licenses, 
yet  pessimism  'n  regard  to  future  game 
conditions  often  stirs  the  public  to  action. 
Certainly  a  study  of  the  game  situation 
in  our  state  would  convince  anyone  that 
action  rather  than  apathy  is  the  present 
day  need,  in  so  far  as  fish  and  game 
conservation  is  concerned.  We  are  in- 
clined to  believe  that  there  is  greater 
danger  toward  fish  and  game  in  the 
optimistic  point  of  view  than  in  the 
pessimistic   point   of   view. 

THE  VALIDITY  OF  THE  MIGRATORY 
BIRD  TREATY  SUSTAINED. 
On  April  nineteenth  of  this  year  the 
United  States  Supreme  Court  sustained 
the  validity  of  the  Migratory  Bird  Treaty, 
a  treaty  which  was  made  between  the 
United  States  and  Great  Britain  for  the 
protection  of  migratory  birds  in  the 
L'nited  States  and  Oanada.  It  also 
declared  the  Migratory  Bird  Treaty  Act 


CALIFORNIA    PISH   AND   GAME. 


117 


constitutional  which  was  approved  July 
3,  1918,  to  carry  out  the  provisions  of 
the  treaty.  Those  who  have  appreciated 
the  need  for  this  law  rejoice  that  it 
has    finally    been    declared    constitutional. 

As  early  as  1904  Hon.  George  Shiras 
3d  introduced  a  bill  which  was  defeated. 
But  on  March  4,  191ii,  the  Weeks- 
McLean  bill  was  brought  before  Con- 
gi-ess  through  the  efforts  of  the  Inter- 
state Sportsmen's  Protective  Association. 
This  association  necessarily  took  an  im- 
portant part  in  the  fight. 

The  Weeks-McLean  bill  provided  that 
the  United  States  Department  of  Agri- 
culture should  have  the  right  to  make 
regulations  for  the  taking  of  migratory 
birds  of  all  kinds.  The  principal  attack 
made  on  this  new  bill  was  by  some  of 
the  Middle  Western  States,  Illinois  be- 
ing one  of  the  most  prominent.  The 
argument  made  against  the  bill,  by  Illi- 
nois and  other  states  affected,  was  that 
it  practically  eliminated  the  sport  of 
duck  hunting  except  for  those  living  on 
the  big  rivers  and  lakes,  unless  there  was 
a  great  sufficiency  of  water  during  the 
fall  season,  an  entirely  uncertain  factor. 
The  Weeks-McLean  bill  was  attacked  in 
the  Federal  Courts  and  was  held  to  be 
unconstitutional  by  several  of  the  judges 
in  the  United  States  District  Courts,  with 
the  result  that  the  government  having 
been  appealed  to,  from  the  adverse  deci- 
sion in  Arkansas,  the  case  eventually 
reached  the  Supreme  Court.  While  the 
act  was  under  discussion  the  treaty  was 
made  between  the  United  States  and 
Great  Britain  for  the  protection  of  migra- 
tory birds  in  the  United  States  and 
Canada.  This  treaty  was  enacted  by 
Congress  and  after  the  law  went  into 
effect  the  federal  government  dismissed 
the  appeal  in  the  Supreme  Court,  as 
the  old  act  was  supplanted  by  the  new 
one. 

Before  further  discussing  the  Migratory 
Bird  Treaty,  a  brief  summary  of  the 
provisions  of  the  treaty  is  inserted  as 
follows  : 

(1)  The  close  season  on  all  migratory 
birds  in  both  countries  is  between  March 
10  and   September  1. 

(2)  No  open  season  can  exceed  three 
and   a   half   months. 

(3)  The  season  is  closed  the  year 
round  on  all  migratory  insectivorous 
birds. 


(4)  It  is  unlawful  to  sell  wild  ducks 
and  other  water-fowl  in  the  markets  in 
either    country. 

(n)  It  is  unlawful  to  rob  the  nests  of 
the  ducks,  etc.,  in  Canada. 

Returning  to  the  Migratory  Bird 
Treaty  Act  and  the  final  settlement  in 
the  Supreme  Court;  on  July  2,  1919, 
application  was  made  before  Judge  Arba 
S.  Van  Valkenburgh  of  the  United  States 
District  Court,  at  Kansas  City,  Mis- 
souri, for  a  restraining  order  to  pro- 
hibit United  States  game  wardens  from 
enforcing  the  Migratory  Bird  Treaty  Act 
in  that  state.  Judge  Van  Valkenburgh 
refused.  Acting  under  the  authorization 
of  a  joint  resolution  adopted  by  both 
branches  of  the  legislature.  Attorney 
General  McAllister  brought  this  case  of 
the  State  of  Missouri,  Appellant,  vs. 
Ratj  P.  Holland,  United  States  game 
warden  before  the  Supreme  Court  (No. 
609,  October  Term,  19l9).  It  was  on 
this  case  that  the  Supreme  Court,  sus- 
taining the  decision  of  the  lower  tribunal, 
handed  down  the  concluding  sentiment 
which  determined  the  constitutionality  of 
the  Migratory  Bird  Treaty  Act.  McAll- 
ister, leading  the  fight  against  the  act, 
maintained  that  it  trod  on  the  rights 
of  the  state.  The  opinion  of  the  court 
as  delivered  by  Justice  Holmes  reads 
as  follows : 

"The  state,  as  we  have  intimated, 
founds  its  claim  of  exclusive  authority 
upon  an  assertion  of  title  to  migratory 
birds,  an  assertion  that  is  embodied  in 
statute.  No  doubt  it  is  true  that  as 
between  a  state  and  its  inhabitants  the 
state  may  regulate  the  killing  and  sale  of 
such  birds,  but  it  does  not  follow  that 
its  authority  is  exclusive  of  paramount 
powers.  To  put  the  claim  of  the  state 
upon  title  is  to  lean  upon  a  slender  reed. 
W'ild  birds  are  not  in  the  possession  of 
anyone ;  and  possession  is  the  beginning 
of  ownership.  The  whole  foundation  of 
the  state's  rights  is  the  presence  within 
their  jurisdiction  of  birds  that  yesterday 
had  not  arrived,  tomorrow  may  be  in 
another  state  and  in  a  week  a  thovisand 
miles  away.  If  we  are  to  be  accurate 
we  cannot  put  the  case  of  the  state 
upon  higher  ground  than  that  the  treaty 
deals  with  creatures  that  for  the  mom- 
ent are  within  the  state  borders,  that  it 
must  be  carried  out  by  oSicers  of  the 
United  States  within  the  same  territory, 
and  that  but  for  the  treaty  the  state 
would  be  free  to  regulate  this  subject 
itself." 

In  further  answer  to  Attorney  General 
McAllister's    stand,    and    concluding    the 


118 


CALIFORNIA   FISH   AND   GAME. 


delivered    opinion    of    the    court,    Justice 
Holmes   said  : 

"The  treaty  in  question  does  not  con- 
travene any  prohibitory  words  to  be 
found  in  the  constitution.  The  only 
question  is  whether  it  is  forbidden  by 
some  invisible  radiation  from  the  general 
terms   of   the   Tenth   Amendment. 

Here  national  interest  of  very  nearly 
the  first  magnitude  is  involved.  It  can 
be  protected  only  by  national  action  in 
concert  with  that  of  another  power.  The 
subject  matter  is  only  transitorily  within 
the  state  and  has  no  permanent  habitat 
therein.  But  for  the  treaty  or  the 
statute,  the  reason  might  be  no  birds 
for  any  power  to  deal  with.  Wo  see 
nothing  in  the  constitution  that  compels 
the  government  to  sit  by  while  a  food 
supply  is  cut  off  and  the  protectors  of 
our  forests  and  our  crops  are  destroyed. 
It  is  not  sufficient  to  rely  upon  the  states. 
The  reliance  is  vain,  and  were  it  other- 
wise, the  question  is  whether  the  United 
States  is  forbidden  to  act.  We  are  of 
the  opinion  that  the  treaty  and  statute 
must    be   upheld." 

The  decree  was  aflBrmed,  Associate  Jus- 
tices Van  Devanter  and  Pitney  dissenting. 

SURVEY  OF  THE  FUR-BEARING 
MAMMALS    OF    CALIFORNIA. 

Many  readers  of  Cxxifornia  Fisn  and 
Game  who  do  more  or  less  trapping 
each  year  will  be  directly  interested  in 
the  announcement  that  on  December  1. 
1919,  the  Museum  of  Vertebrate  Zoology 
of  the  University  of  California  began  an 
investigation  of  the  fur-bearing  mammals 
of  the  state.  The  purjKise  of  the  investi- 
gation thus  undertaken  is  to  secure  reli- 
able information  as  fully  as  feasible  con- 
cerning the  food,  breeding  habits  and  all 
other  points  worth  knowing  in  the  nat- 
ural history  of  our  fur-bearers.  It  is 
believed  that  this  information  is  espec- 
ially desirable  at  this  time  so  as  to 
determine  the  economic  status  of  the 
various  species,  th's  being  in  many  cases 
in  doubt  to  ascertain  the  annual  catch 
which  may  be  safely  taken  without  en- 
dangering the  present  breeding  stock,  and 
further  to  furnish  an  adequate  basis  for 
sound  constructive  legislation  that  will 
protect  and  develop  the  fur  resources  of 
our  state.  The  income  to  the  trappers  of 
California  from  this  source  now  amounts 
to   nearly   .$400,000   annually. 

All  wild  mammals  of  California  whose 
pelts  are  commonly  sold  for  fur  are  to  be 
considered  as  fur-bearing  mammals  in 
this  investigation. 


Arrangements  have  been  fully  made, 
and  the  work  is  already  well  under  way. 
Mr.  Joseph  Dixon,  Economic  Mammalo- 
gist  of  the  above  named  institution,  has 
spent  a  large  part  of  the  past  trapping 
season  visiting  the  lrapi>ers  of  the  state 
and  in  securing  first  hand  information 
relative  to  fur-bearing  mammals.  Dia- 
grams to  scale,  measurements  and  photo- 
graphs of  breeding  dens,  notes  on  life 
history,  together  with  photographs  of  the 
living  animals  in  the  wild  have  already 
been  secured  of  several  of  our  most  im- 
portant   fur-bearers. 

Blank  records  have  been  sent  to  the 
most  progressive  trappers  of  the  sta'i*- 
and  these  men  have  responded  heartily. 
Many  of  them  have  examined  the  stomach 
contents  of  all  the  animals  that  they 
have  t^-apped,  so  that  we  now  have,  in 
addition  to  field  notes  and  collections 
gathered  during  the  past  eleven  years 
by  the  Museum  of  Vertebrate  Zoology, 
as  a  foundation  to  go  on,  over  3o0  defi- 
nite records,  from  these  reports  of  food 
found  in  the  stomachs  of  practically  all 
the  common  fur-bearers  in  this  state. 
The  trappers  have  also  sent  in  all  avail- 
able records  of  females  that  they  have 
trapped  which  have  contained  embryos 
(unborn  young).  This  affords  an  accu- 
rate index  to  the  time  and  rate  of  breed- 
ing of  these  animals  and  has  a  direct 
value  in  determining  the  date  when  the 
trapping  season  should  close  in  order  to 
"protect  the  crop''  for  the  succeeding 
trapping   season. 

An  important  feature  of  recent  field 
work  has  been  the  taking  of  paraffin 
casts  of  tracks  made  by  live  wild  animals 
under  natural  conditions  in  the  field. 
Such  a  cast  faithfully  reproduces  every 
dimension  and  contour  of  the  oi-iginal 
track  and  thus  affords  an  excellent  idoa 
of  one  sort  of  "sign"'  which  may  be  looked 
for  by  trappers 

It  is  expected  that  at  least  three  years' 
work  will  be  required  before  the  results 
of  the  investigation  will  be  ready  for 
publication.  It  is  planned  that  this  shall 
be  in  book  form.  Arrangements  have 
been  made  to  have  this  volume  illustrated 
with  color  plates  by  America's  foremost 
animal  artists.  Chapters  in  the  book  will 
be  devoted  to  decrease  of  fur-bearing 
mammals,  causes  and  control  of  this 
decrease,  the  fur  trapper  in  California, 
methods    of    trapping    and    curing    furs, 


CALIFORNIA   PISH   AND   GAME. 


119 


legislation  relative  to  fur-bearing  mam- 
mals, agricultural  and  game  interests 
versus  fur  interests,  and  federal  and  state 
forest  reserves  as  permanent  producers  of 
fur-bearing    mammals. 

A  general  account  of  each  species  is 
being  planned  for,  under  which  will  ap- 
pear topics  such  as  common  and  scien- 
tific names,  marks  for  field  identification, 
description  of  pelage,  moult,  coloration, 
pads,  claws,  measurements,  weights, 
skulls,  teeth,  variation,  general  distribu- 
tion, type  locality  and  specimens  exam- 
ined. Other  topics,  such  as  mannerisms, 
gait,  posture  of  body,  instances  of  behav- 
ior, timidity,  voice,  tracks  and  other  sign, 
sanitation,  breeding  dens,  breeding  sea- 
sons and  habits,  number  of  young  in 
litter,  time  of  birth,  precocity  of  young, 
paternal  care,  enemies,  nature  of  food 
(exact  data),  feeding  and  forage  habits, 
relative  abundance,  estimates  of  popula- 
tion, changes  within  history,  relation  to 
agriculture,  grazing  and  forestry,  and 
economic  status,  will  be  treated  in  detail. 

Suggestions,  information  and  observa- 
tions of  special  interest  will  be  welcomed 
from  the  readers  of  Caxifornia  Fish  and 
Game.  In  order  to  be  of  most  value,  the 
locality,  date,  and  name  of  the  observer 
must  bo  given.  Address  communications 
to 

Museum   of   Vertebrate   Zoology, 

University  of  California, 

Berkeley,   California. 

ADEQUATE  GAME  PROTECTION. 

What  will  make  for  better  game  pro- 
tective measures  throughout  the  United 
States  is  a  question  which  concerns  all 
of  the  people  of  the  United  States  who  are 
interested  in  the  conservation  of  wild  life. 
The  Pim  Cone,  the  official  bulletin  of  the 
New  Mexico  Game  Protective  Associa- 
tion, in  the  issue  of  March,  1920,  states 
that  either  the  inadequate,  conventional 
methods  of  game  protection,  in  vogue  in 
practically  evei-y  state  in  the  Union,  must 
go,  or  the  game  must  go.  This  is  rather 
too  radical  a  statement,  but  it  is  generally 
conceded  that  there  is  a  vast  need  for 
improvement  in  the  individual  state  game 
protective  departments  of  the  United 
States.  There  are  three  fundamental  pre- 
cepts which  are  applicable  to  the  state 
game  departments  in  general,  and  which, 


if  striven  for,  and  earnestly  adhered  to, 
would  assuredly  do  much  to  not  only 
solve  the  problem  of  more  adequate  wild 
life  conservation  in  each  state,  but  would 
perfect  the  appended  system  to  the 
national  department  on  conservation. 
They   are   as   follows : 

First — The  slogan  in  every  state  should 
be,    "Conservation    through   education."' 

Second — Plenary  powers  should  be 
granted  the  commissions  or  departments 
concerned  with  game  regulation  and  wild 
life  resources,  not  with  the  idea  of  giving 
more  power,  but  of  avoiding  the  necessary 
delay  entailed  by  state  legislation.  This 
point  is  aptly  exemplified  by  again  quot- 
ing from  the  Pine  Cone:  The  state  de- 
partment of  health  is  a  commission  to 
which  the  state  legislature  has  delegated 
extensive  authority  in  regulating  public 
health — such  as  making  rules  for  the  sani- 
tary handling  of  milk,  closing  public  meet- 
ings in  time  of  epidemic,  etc.  Suppose 
during  the  influenza  epidemic,  we  had  had 
to  wait  for  a  meeting  of  the  legislature 
before  closing  public  meetings.  Yet  that 
is  no  more  illogical  than  waiting  for  a 
legislative  enactment  to  close  the  season 
on  a  species  immediately  threatened  with 
extermination."     And 

Third — Departmental  duties  and  dis- 
cretionary powers  should  be  conscien- 
tiously executed.  Particularly  with  re- 
gard to — 

(1)  The  granting  of  permits. 

(2)  The  practice  of  quantitative  dis- 
tribution of  licenses. 

(3)  The  setting  aside  of  game  sanc- 
tuaries proportionate  to  the  requirements 
of   the   state. 

In  California  it  is  worthy  of  note  and 
emphasis  that  3,107.520  acres — 27  game 
refuges  by  legislative  enactment,  3  game 
preserves  by  the  Fish  and  Game  Com- 
mission, 5  bird  reservations,  and  the 
national  park  areas  by  the  federal  govern- 
ment— have  been  set  aside  where  no 
hunting  is  allowed,  and  where  game  is 
allowed  to  breed  unmolested.  This  is,  as 
has  been  stated  before,  roughly  speaking, 
about  3  per  cent  of  the  total  area  of  the 
state. 

It  is  by  constructive  methods,  there- 
fore, that  the  goal  of  adequate  wild  life 
conservation    will    be    reached. 


120 


CALIFORNIA    FISH    AND    GAME. 


A     NATIONAL     COMMISSION     ON     THE 
CONSERVATION      OF     WILD      LIFE. 

In  the  Review  of  April  17,  1920,  there 
is  an  editorial  suggesting  the  value  of 
a  national  commission  on  the  conserva- 
tion of  wild  life.  The  Rciicic  makes  the 
following  statements : 

"Good  legislation  in  some  narrow 
corner  of  the  field  results,  now  and  then; 
but  permanent  advances  along  the  entire 
line  is  impossible,  so  long  as  the  matter 
is   handled   in   a  piecemeal   waj'." 

It  is  very  true  that  greater  cooperation 
in  the  work  of  conservation  is  needed, 
particularly  in  the  consideration  of  effec- 
tive methods  of  dealing  with  tho  problem 
of  migratory  species.  The  starting  point 
for  this  work  is  conservation  by 
education  in  the  different  states,  and 
from  this  will  develop  united  public  senti- 
ment  and   greater   national    benefits. 

The  United  States  Bureau  of  Biological 
Survey  under  the  United  States  Depart- 
ment of  Agriculture  may  be  considered 
as  the  present  national  organization  for 
the  conservation  of  wild  life.  It  is  the 
beginning  of  what  must  necessarily  be  an 
actively  growing  institution.  However, 
notwithstanding  the  unquestionable  value 
of  the  United  States  Biological  Survey, 
a  commission  would  doubtless  have  much 
more  freedom  than  the  present  United 
States  Bureau  has,  and  with  a  compe- 
tent, fit  body  of  men,  might  be  able  to 
accomplish   more. 

The  vital  point  which  still  remains  is 
that  any  central  commission  or  national 
body,  no  matter  how  efficient  in  itself, 
would  be  more  or  less  ineffectual  unless 
it  has  the  support  of  the  individual 
states.  Therefore,  the  effort  of  each 
state  should  be  toward  education  which 
would  lead  directly  to  a  cooperative  spirit 
and  the  unification  of  endeavor.  Without 
educational  methods  there  will  be  more 
chance  for  misguided  legislation,  lobby- 
ing, aggressive  criticism  and  the  accom- 
panying lack  of  coordinated  national 
strength. 

The  conclusion  is  that  the  idea  of  a 
national  commission  is  of  paramount 
interest,  but  any  national  organization 
will  be  greatly  hampered  until  it  has 
creditable  state  support. 

GUNS    USED     BY     DUCK     PIRATES. 

Although  few  of  the  big  guns  used  by 
the    duck    pirates,    or    night    gunners,    on 


Chesapeake  Bay  and  the  rivers  of  Mary- 
land, are  in  use  at  the  present  time,  yet 
occasionally  a  new  capture  is  made.  The 
collection    photographed     is    a    collection 


Fig.  33.  Large  bore  guns  used  by 
duck  pirates  on  Chesapeake  Bay, 
Maryland.  These  are  similar  to  those 
used  by  duck  pirates  in  (\ilifornia 
previous  to  protective  laws  which 
put  them  out  of  business. 

which  has  been  assembled  from  time  to 
time  by  the  game  wardens  of  Maryland. 
The  guns  measur(>  10  feet  and  weigh 
about  115  pounds ;  they  are  very  crude 
affairs,  some  of  them  having  been  made 
by  the  "village  blacksmith."  Like  guns 
were  used  by  market  hunters  in  Cali- 
fornia until  legislation  prohibited  their 
use.  Wm.   II.   FisiiEH. 

Baltimore,   Md. 

SALMON      FISHING     AT     MENDOTA 
WEIR. 

Prior  to  the  last  two  decades,  salmon 
fishing  in  the  upper  waters  of  the  San 
.Joaquin  River  was  confined  to  the  use 
of   seines   and   spears.     Following   closely 


CALIFORNIA   FISH   AND   GAME. 


121 


on  these  methods  came  the  grabhook. 
This  latter  method  could  not  be  employed 
until  some  barrier  was  constructed  which 
would  interfere  with  the  passage  of  the 
salmon  toward  their  spawning  ground. 
When  such  a  barrier  was  devised  the 
fish  congregated  in  large  numbers  and 
thus  became  endangered  by  two  methods 
of  capture.  Either,  due  to  their  attempts 
to  leap  the  obstruction,  they  became  a 
mark  for  the  spearsman,  or  while  massed 
below  a  weir  under  water  they  became 
the  unseen  target  for  the  unscrupulous — 
so-called — sportsmen,  or  avaricious  fish 
vendor,  neither  class  caring  what  method 
they  employed  of  catching  the  fish  so  long 
as  they  got  them. 

In  about  the  year  1910  or  1911,  the 
legislature  of  California  attempted  to 
check  the  use  of  grabhooks,  but  in  fram- 
ing the  law,  the  wording  of  the  protective 
section  has  proved  to  be  inadequate.  The 
section  which  has  been  the  source  of 
many  bitter  controversies  between  the 
officers  of  the  law  and  the  fellow  who 
wanted   the  fish   reads  as  follows : 

"Section  634.  Every  person  who,  ex- 
cept with  spear  or  hook  and  line,  said 
hook  and  line  to  be  used  in  the  manner 
commonly  known  as  angling,  takes, 
catches  or  kills  any  salmon  *  *  *  jg 
guilty  of  a  misdemeanor." 

In  so  far  as  I  know,  we  have  no  court 
interpretation  on  this  section,  so  the 
matter  is  still  in  dispute. 

Passing  from  the  illegal  methods  of 
taking  salmon  resorted  to  by  the  un- 
scrupulous fisherman,  we  have  the  spoon 
hook  and  line  method  practiced  by  the 
many  clean  true  sportsmen,  some  of 
whom  come  from  distant  places  in  the 
state  to  take  salmon.  And  not  in- 
frequently, the  sportsman  of  this  type 
is  rewarded  by  a  big  fellow  taking  the 
spoon  in  his  mouth,  which  results  in  a 
fight  that  will  often  last  for  a  half  an 
hour  or  an  hour.  Thus  the  angler  is 
rewarded  by  a  spbrtsmanly  encounter 
which  keeps  him  on  keen  edge  until  the 
salmon  is  landed. 

Why  salmon  strike  at  a  spoon  is  not 
really  known,  for  they  apparently  take 
no  food  after  entering  a  freshwater 
stream,  the  stomach  becoming  useless  so 
that  food  would  probably  not  digest  even 


if  introduced  artificially  into  the  stomach. 
Then,  we  are  prone  to  ask,  "Why  does 
he  strike?"  His  known  fighting  qualities 
and  unbounded  determination  to  reach  his 
recognized  spawning  bed  may  be  an  ex- 
planation for  his  actions.  One  seldom 
ever  hears  of  a  salmon  taking  a  spoon 
until  after  he  passes  the  town  of  Fire- 
baugh,  which  leads  to  the  inference  that 
he  apparently  does  not  strike  a  spoon, 
after  leaving  the  sea,  until  he  meets  with 
interference  on  his  journey  to  his  spawn- 
ing bed.  The  town  of  Firebaugh  is  some 
six  miles  below  Mendota  weir,  and  very 
few  salmon  are  taken  on  hook  and  line 
outside  of  a  mile  or  two  down  the  river, 
from  the  latter  town.  But  at  the  weir, 
I  have  noted  more  than  a  hundred  fish 
taken  in  twenty-four  hours,  fairly  caught 
in   the   mouth   with   spoon   hooks. 

Those  salmon  which  pass  the  weir 
travel  up  the  river  and  pay  little  heed 
to  lures  of  any  kind,  until  they  reach 
their  final  homes  or  spawning  beds,  in 
and  near  the  hills.  After  reaching  the 
cobble  bottoms  where  they  deposit  their 
spawn,  they  again  strike  the  spoon  hook  ; 
at  this  time  they  furnish  the  greatest 
sport  for  the  rod-casting  enthusiast. 
Not  only  is  the  angler  kept  constantly  on 
the  alert,  but  he  can  find  plenty  of  sal- 
mon pools  wherein  he  can  "let  fly"  one 
hundred  and  fifty  feet  of  line  and  then 
some.  The  good  fishing  usually  extends 
from  the  period  prior  to  the  time  that 
they  deposit  their  eggs  until  sometime  in 
September ;  but  individual  salmon  con- 
tinue striking  even  on  through  the  winter 
months. 

Unless  further  protection  is  extended 
to  the  salmon  very  soon,  the  thrill  of  a 
salmon  strike  in  the  San  Joaquin  will  be 
history.  We  have  been  very  properly 
forced  to  give  up  the  fall  run  of  salmon 
to  the  agriculturist,  and  now  our  spring 
run  is  being  depleted  very  rapidly.  We 
lose  vast  numbers  of  fry  in  the  irrigating 
ditches,  as  they  travel  down  toward  the 
sea.  Therefore,  unless  we  extend  our 
best  efforts  to  protect  these  fish  quickly, 
the  salmon  of  the  upper  San  Joaquin 
River  will  pass  into  history  as  our  elk 
and   antelope   have   done. 

«.  T>.  N.  Ellis. 


122 


CALIFORNIA   FISH    AND    GAME. 


CHEAP    SPORT    FOR    INFLUENTIAL 
VIOLATORS. 

There  is  many  a  man  who  would 
gladly  pay  $5  for  the  privilege  of  killing 
a  Canada  goose,  provided  he  was  sure 
that  this  was  the  only  penalty  he  must 
pay  and  that  he  would  not  be  prosecuted 
and  branded  as  a  man  unwHling  to  play 
fair  with  his  brother  sport smcu.  Yet  there 
are  men  in  this  country  today  who  an 
enjoying  this  privilege,  or  rather  steal- 
ing it,  at  the  low  rate  of  .$2.50  per  viola- 
tion. It  was  only  as  recently  as  Septem- 
ber 23,  1910,  that  William  F.  Taubel,  a 
wealthy  citizen  of  Iliverside,  New  .Jersey, 
was  fined  $5  by  a  United  States  District 
Court  in  Trenton,  New  .Torscy,  for  violat- 
ing the  Migratory  Bird  Treaty  Act,  in 
that  he  decoyed  to  a  blind  and  killed 
two  Canada  geeso.  Since  that  lime  the 
same  judge  who  imposed,  the  fine  in  the 
Taubel  case  has  fined  other  violators  of 
the   same  law   as   low   as  .$2..50. 

These  fines  contrast  rather  glaringly 
with  a  fine  of  $1,000  imposed  on  Octo- 
ber 22  of  the  same  year,  also  in  Trenton, 
New  Jersey,  on  Emilo  Trowti,  an  alien 
resident  of  West  Amwell,  New  Jersey. 
Trowti  was  found  guilty  of  violating  the 
New  Jersey  game  laws,  and  was  surely 
deserving  of  his  punishment,  as  he  was 
caught  with  a  bag  containing  forty-eight 
song  and  insectivorous  birds.  However, 
fines  similar  to  the  first  ones  will  surely 
cheapen  the  federal  law  and  make  diffi- 
cult the  enforcement  of  the  Migratory 
Bird  Treaty  Act. 

It  is  gratifying  to  know  that  other 
district  judges  in  the  United  States  do 
not  share  the  views  of  the  one  who  im- 
posed these  low  fines.  In  Wisconsin 
three  hunters  were  recently  fined  $100 
each  for  attempting  to  kill  ducks  after 
sunset,  while  in  Connecticut  a  violator 
was  sentenced  to  three  months  in  jail  for 
a  violation  of  the  Migratory  Bird  Treaty 
Act.  It  is  only  by  stringent  methods 
that  the  true  intent  and  meaning  of 
this  act  can   be  carried  out. 

WATCH  FOR  BANDED  DUCKS. 
All  waterfowl  should  bo  carofully  ex- 
amined to  ascertain  whether  or  not  they 
are  banded.  The  Bureau  of  Biological 
Survey,  United  States  Department  of 
Agriculture,  Washington,  D.  C,  and  sev- 
eral individuals  are  making  a  practice  of 
banding     waterfowl,     to     ascertain     their 


migratory  lines  of  flight,  and  it  is  quite 
necessary  that  full  reports  regarding  the 
taking  of  any  banded  bird  be  made  to  the 
proper   authorities. 

QUAIL     IMMUNE    TO    STRYCHNINE 
POISONING. 

Important  evidence  has  been  secured 
regarding  the  comparative  immunity  of 
quail  to  strj-chnine  poisoning.  Field 
observations  and  feeding  experiments  con- 
ducted in  California  showed  that  one 
valley  quail  can  eat  grain  containing 
enough  strychnine  to  kill  12  ground  squir- 
rels without  showing  the  slightest  ill 
effect  from  the  poison.  A  number  of 
.similar  experiments  on  a  mountain  quail 
and  a  Ijobwhite  gave  like  results.  The 
infoimntion  thus  gained  will  tend  to  allay 
fears  in  certain  quarters  that  poisoning 
campaigns  against  ground  squirrels  result 
disastrously  to  these  valuable  game  birds. 
Investigations  in  Saskatchewan,  Canada, 
have  proved  that  grouse  are  equally 
immune  to  strychnine  poisoning.  Ann. 
Rpt.  V.  S.  Dept.  Agric. 

BIOLOGICAL  SURVEY  TAKES  OVER 
WORK  OF  AMERICAN  BIRD-BAND- 
ING    ASSOCIATION. 

The  Bureau  of  Biological  Survey,  U.  S. 
Department  of  Agriculture,  Washington, 
D.  C,  has  taken  over  the  work,  good 
will,  effects,  and  records  of  the  American 
Bird  Banding  Association,  formerly  con- 
ducted from  headquarters  at  the  Ameri- 
can INIuseum  of  Natural  History  in  New 
York  City.  In  the  future,  therefore, 
the  issue  of  bands  and  information  rela- 
tive to  the  work  will  be  from  this  office, 
to  which  all  records  of  birds  banded  and 
recovered,  should  be  sent.  There  will, 
of  course,  be  no  further  dues  or  initia- 
tion fees. 

In  taking  over  the  work  of  this 
association,  the  Biological  Survey  is 
particularly  desirous  of  retaining  your 
hearty  cooperation,  upon  which  a  large 
part  of  our  success  will   depend. 

The  work  is  to  be  advanced  along  two 
principal  lines:  first,  the  trapping  and 
banding  of  waterfowl,  esxi'scially  duck.-j 
and  geese  on  both  their  breeding  and 
wintering  grounds ;  and  second,  the  sys- 
tematic trapping  of  land  birds  as  initiated 
by  Mr.  S.  Prentiss  Baldwin.  By  main- 
taining   volunteer    trapping    stations    at 


CALIFORNIA   FISH   AND   GAME. 


123 


intervals  over  the  country,  and  con- 
sistently operating  them  throughout  the 
year,  a  mass  of  valuable  data  relative  to 
the  migration  routes,  speed  of  travel,  and 
affinity  for  the  nest  site  of  the  previous 
year,  as  well  as  a  quantity  of  life  history 
information  about  the  individual  will  be 
acquired. 

To  do  this  with  any  degree  of  success, 
the  observer  should  be  advantageously 
located  with  regard  to  bird  habitats,  as  it 
is  obvious  that  traps  can  not  be  regularly 
visited  if  located  at  any  considerable 
distance  from  the  operator's  usual  station 
during  the  day,  and  it  is  imperative  that 
they  be  visited  at  least  two  or  three 
times  daily  to  prevent  the  birds  captured 
from  injuring  themselves  against  the 
wires.  The  fascination  of  the  work, 
however,  will  amply  repay  anyone  for  the 
little  time  and  trouble,  and  for  the  ex- 
pense for  traps  and  baits. 

Experiments  are  now  under  way  to 
determine  the  most  suitable  types  of  traps 
and  the  best  methods  of  trapping ;  and 
arrangements  are  being  made  for  a  supply 
of  bands. 

In  the  meantime,  however,  the  Biologi- 
cal Survey  desires  to  invite  continued 
cooperation  and  will  welcome  any 
inquiries  or  suggestions  for  the  advance- 
ment of  the  work.  The  Bureau  particu- 
larly desires  to  get  in  touch  with  those 
advantageously  located  for  the  establish- 
ment of  trapping  stations. 

NEW     ZEALAND     ENCOURAGES 
FISHING    INDUSTRY. 

Recently  the  Industries  Committee,  of 
the  House  of  Representatives  of  New 
Zealand,  traveled  throughout  the  Domin- 
ion to  find  out  how  new  and  budding 
industries  might  be  assisted  and  encour- 
aged. The  fishing  industry  amongst 
otliers  was  investigated  and  the  follow- 
ing interesting  recommendations  were 
made : 

That  the  best  way  to  bring  about  the 
development  of  the  industry  is  by  organ- 
ization for  catching,  distributing  and, 
where  necessary,  preserving  the  fish.  The 
only  way  to  provide  adequate  supplies  and 
prices  within  the  reach  of  all  is  by 
trawling. 

It  recommended  that  a  separate  fish- 
eries department  of  the  government  be 
established  with  a  director  and  staff. 


That  the  government  own  and  operate 
steam  trawlers,  and  establish  fish-chilling 
and  ice-making  plants  near  the  fishing 
grounds  and  engage  generally  in  the 
business. 

That  the  government  advances  be  made 
to  fisliermen  on  the  security  of  their  boats 
and   fishing  outfit. 

That  the  fishermen's  boats  be  insured 
by  the  state  ofiice  at  a  low  rate. 

That  a  systematic,  scientific  and  prac- 
tical survey  of  fisliing  grounds  be  under- 
taken without  delay,  and  that  the  govern- 
ment purchase  a  properly  constructed 
and  equipped  vessel  for  this  work. 

That  government  assistance  be  given 
to  encourage  the  canning,  curing  and 
commercial  preparation  of  fish  food, 
special  attention  being  given  to  the 
canning    of    crayfish. 

That  encouragement  be  given  for  the 
manufacture  of  fish  manure  and  the  pro- 
duction of  fish  oil  (other  than  whale 
oil). 

Several  recommendations  were  made 
for  licensing  and  controlling  the  business 
of  whaling,  among  which  were  (1)  that 
the  whaling  company  should  give  guar- 
anty that  every  portion  of  a  whale's 
carcass  will  be  used,  and  (2)  that  each 
company  be  confined  to  sixty  miles  of 
coast  and  each  must  take  at  least  a 
certain    number   each   year. 

KARAKUL  SHEEP  INDUSTRY. 
A  few  years  ago  considerable  pub- 
licity was  given  the  fact  that  some 
karakul  sheep,  noted  for  their  fur,  had 
been  imported  from  Siberia.  Added 
interest  now  pertains  to  this  importation 
because  of  the  fact  that  some  of  the 
original  imported  stock  has  been  moved 
to  California  from  Tt-xas.  The  Kerman 
Karakul  Sheep  Company  secured  200 
animals  from  Texas  in  191S,  and  the  herd 
is  now  considerably  .arger.  The  out- 
standing importance  of  this  breed  lies  in 
the  splendid  fur  whicQ  is  produced.  It 
now  appears  also  that  this  breed  will 
do  well  even  on  scanty  alkali  vegetation. 
The  karakul  sheep  will  stand  on  its  hind 
legs  and  browse  high  up,  and  therefore 
needs  less  territory  as  range.  The  lambs 
grow  rapidly,  sometimes  attaining  a 
weight  of  sixty  pounds  in  two  months. 
The  mutton  has  a  peculiar  gamey  flavor, 
and    the    large    amount    of    fat     (about 


124 


CALIFORNIA   FISH   AND   GAME. 


twenty  pounds  to  each  animal)  is  valu- 
able. According  to  P.  A.  Ingvason, 
manager    of    the    rancli    at    Kcrman,    a 


Fig.  34.  Karakvil  lamb  showinK 
fur  in  prime  condition.  The  Karaliul 
sheep  industry  has  spread  to  Cali- 
fornia. 


better  and  hardier  sheep  is  obtained  by 
crossing  the  karakul  with  a  Mexican  wool 
sheep. 

A  new  fur  industry  is  therefore  being 
developed  in  California.  Although  the 
animals  utilized  are  domesticated,  yet  the 
increase  of  furs  of  this  sort  should  add 
much  to  reduce  the  toll  taken  of  native 
fur-bearers,  and  consequently  this  new 
project  should  be  looked  upon  with  favor. 


SUGGESTED     BIRD     RESERVATION 
ON     MONO     LAKE. 

A  colony  of  gulls  is  located  on  a  large 
island  in  Mono  Lake  where  it  is  cus- 
tomary for  them  to  breed  each  year. 
Recently  a  desert  homestead  has  been 
taken  up  with  an  entry  on  the  lake,  and 
a  summer  residence  has  been  built  there. 
I  understand  that  the  homesteader  pro- 
poses to  stock  the  island  with  goats, 
which  may  be  a  fad  that  will  be  short 
lived.  However,  it  strikes  me  that  some 
attention  should  be  given  to  the  preser- 
vation of  this  colony  of  gulls,  which  is 
somewhat  unique  on  account  of  the  fact 
that  it  is  situated  so  far  inland,  and  also 
because  it  adds  greatly  to  the  interest 
taken  in  the  Mono  Lake  region.  This 
territory  is  rapidly  coming  to  the  front 
among  tlie  tourists  as  a  recreation  ground, 
and  I  feel  that  all  due  pi-ecaution  should 
he  taken  to  retain  the  interesting  fea- 
tures of  the  locality.  I  have  had  it  in 
mind  for  some  time  to  advocate  the 
setting  aside  of  a  sufficiently  large  portion 
of  this  island  as  a  bird  reservation,-  to 
insure  their  continued  residence,  through 
the  aid  of  due  protection. 

No  doubt  you  will  be  interested  in  this 
case,  and  if  you  care  to  take  it  up 
further,  I  will  be  glad  to  do  all  in  my 
power  to  assist  you  in  the  matter.  It 
is  quite  ev'dent  that  unrestricted  goat 
raising  on  the  island  would  have  a 
disastrous   effect    on    the   birds. 

W.    W.    Maule. 


Fig.  35.     Black  fox  at  Tahoe   1  ..x   l-arm. 


CALIFORNIA   FISH   AND    GAME. 


125 


FOX   FARM  A  SUCCESS. 

The  foxes  at  the  fox  farms  of  Lewis 
aud  Kierman,  situateu  near  Pomins, 
Lake  Tahoe,  are  doing  splendidly.  The 
snow  and  cold,  moist  atmosphere  at  Lake 
Tahoe  puts  the  fur  in  prime  condition. 
The  accompanying  photograph  is  a  pic- 
ture of  "Tahoe  Queen,"  a  black  silver 
fox  at  the  fox  farm  of  Lewis  and  Kier- 
man, which  is  valued  at  $3,000.  The 
results  thus  far  have  been  so  encouraging 
that  Lewis  and  Kierman  are  contem- 
plating enlarging  their  fox  farm  of  silver 
black    foxes.  Joseph    H.    Sanders. 

DEER    PROTECTION    IN    SISKIYOU 
COUNTY. 

There  is  nothing  so  abhorrent  to  the 
true  sportsman  as  the  vs'anton  slaughter 
of  deer,  and  especially  the  ruthless  killing 
of  a  doe.  One  morning  in  March,  1919, 
the  writer  came  upon  a  spectacle  of  this 
kind  which  so  aroused  him  that  he  is 
prompted  to  utter  a  protest  against  such 
butchei-y.  He  was  riding  on  horseback 
through  the  winter  range  for  mule  deer  in 
Siskiyou  County,  which  extends  from  the 
Weed  Big  Springs  road  as  far  north  as 
the  foot  of  Goose  Nest  Mountain  and  as 
far  east  as  Morrison  Station  on  the 
Klamath  Falls  line.  In  this  section  there 
are  several  hundred  deer  that  come  from 
the  higher  mountains  and  even  from  the 
lava  beds  to  winter.  There  was  about 
one  inch  of  snow  on  the  ground.  Sud- 
denly there  appeared  in  the  snow  a  blood 
trail  with  a  man's  track  following.  The 
writer  determined  to  investigate.  He  did 
not  have  far  to  go  when  he  came  upon  a 
sight  that  made  his  blood  boil.  There 
under  a  little  bunch  of  pines  he  found  the 
head  of  a  mule  doe  and  nearby  two  un- 
born fawns  that  the  violator  had  taken 
from  her.  It  was  late  in  the  evening  and 
the  writer  had  no  kodak.  When  he  re- 
turned next  morning  to  get  a  picture  he 
found  that  the  coyotes  had  been  there  in 
the  night  and   nothing  remained. 

This,  however,  was  not  the  first 
slaughtered  doe  that  the  writer  has  found. 
The  previous  year  on  this  same  range  he 
had  come  upon  a  mother  aud  two  year- 
ling fawns,  both  does,  wantonly  killed  and 
left  for  the  coyotes.  Furthermore,  almost 
every  day  of  the  week  shots  may  be  heard 
in  this  section  and  evidence  found  of  deer 
killed    out   of    season.     Game    hogs    have 


even  gone  so  far  as  to  build  roosts  in  the 
trees,  that  they  may  have  a  better  vantage 
point  to   watch  the   runaways. 

In  view  of  the  conditions  existing  on 
this  range  it  would  almost  seem  advisable 
that  a  special  patrol  be  established  here 
from  the  first  of  December  until  the  first 
of  May,  by  which  time  the  deer  will  have 
gone  back  to  their  summer  ranges  aud 
can  protect  themselves. — Edwin  II.  Bus- 
comb,   Edgewood,  California. 

BIRD  CENSUSES. 

In  order  to  better  regulate  national 
affairs  it  is  necessary  to  know  the  popu- 
lation from  year  to  year  so  that  fluctua- 
tions may  be  noted.  Hence  the  ten  year 
census.  Likewise  if  we  would  control 
bird  and  animal  life  to  better  meet  our 
ueeds  it  is  necessary  to  obtain  figures  as 
to  the  wild  life  population.  A  number  of 
states  have  recently  inaugurated  game 
censuses  and  the  United  States  Biological 
Survey  is  advocating  bird  counts  to  gain 
knowledge  of  the  total  bird  population 
and  its  fluctuations  from  year  to  year. 
Reliable  observers  the  country  over  are 
being  sought  to  undertake  bird  counts  dur- 
ing the  nesting  season  and  to  forward 
reports.  In  the  hope  that  some  of  our 
readers  may  be  interested  in  the  work, 
and  to  show  the  thorough  manner  in 
which  the  work  is  undertaken,  we  are 
adding  the  following  directions  issued  in 
Washington  : 

The  height  of  the  breeding  season 
should  be  chosen  for  this  work.  In  the 
latitude  of  Washington,  D.  C.  (latitude 
•id  degrees),  May  30  is  about  the  right 
date  for  the  first  count ;  in  the  latitude 
of  Boston  the  work  should  not  begin  until 
a  week  later,  while  south  of  Washington 
an  earlier  date  should  be  selected.  In  any 
locality  the  count  should  be  made  soon 
after  the  end  of  the  migration  and  during 
the  early  part  of  the  nesting  season. 

AVhat  is  wanted  is  a  count  of  the  pairs 
of  birds  actually  nesting  within  the  se- 
lected area.  Birds  that  visit  the  area 
for  feeding  purposes  only  must  not  be 
counted,  no  matter  how  close  their  nests 
may  be  to  the  boundary  lines. 

In  making  this  count,  it  is  a  good  plan 
to  begin  at  daylight  some  morning  at  the 
height  of  the  nesting  season  and  zigzag 
hack  and  forth  across  the  area,  counting 
the  male  birds.  Early  in  the  morning 
every  male  bird  is  usually  in  full  song, 
and  at  that  season  may  safely  be  con- 
sidered to  represent  a  breeding  pair.  The 
results  of  one  day's  count;  should  be 
checked  and  revised  by  several  days  of 
further  work  to  make  sure  that  every  bird 


126 


CALIFORNIA    FISH   AND   GAME. 


counted  is  actually  nesting  within  the  area 
and  that  no  species  has  hoen  overlooked. 

The  tract  selected  should  represent  the 
average  farm  cDuditions,  and  should  not 
have  an  undue  amount  of  woodhiud.  It 
should  contain  not  less  than  40  acres — a 
quarter  of  a  mile  square — nor  more  than 
80  acres,  and  should  include  the  farm 
buildings,  with  the  usual  shade  trees, 
orchards,  etc.,  as  well  as  fields  of  plowed 
land  and  of  pasture  or  meadow. 

The  final  results  of  the  count  should  be 
sent  to  this  Bureau  as  soon  afterward  as 
convenient,  and  should  be  accomjianied  by 
a  statement  of  the  e.xact  boundaries  of 
the  selected  area,  so  explicitly  defined  that 
it  will  be  possible  25  years  hence  to  have 
the  count  repeated.  The  name  of  the 
present  owner  should  be  given,  together 
with  a  careful  description  of  the  char- 
acter of  the  land,  including  a  statement 
of  whether  it  is  dry  upland  or  moist  bot- 
tom land;  the  number  of  acres  in  each  of 
the  principal  crops,  or  in  permanent 
meadow,  pasture,  orchard,  swamps,  roads, 
etc. ;  the  kinds  of  fencing  used  ;  and  the 
amount  of  brush  along  fences,  streams, 
roads,  or  in  permanent  pasture. 

If  there  is  an  isolated  piece  of  wood- 
land comprising  10  to  20  acres  con- 
veniently near,  a  separate  count  of  the 
birds  nesting  therein  also  will  be  useful. 
In  this  case  the  report,  in  addition  to 
specifying  the  size  and  exact  boundaries 
of  the  area,  should  state  the  principal 
kinds  of  trees  and  whether  there  is  much 
or  little  underbrush. 

A  third  count  desired  is  of  some  definite 
timbered  area — 40  acres,  for  iustauce — 
which  is  part  of  a  much  larger  tract  of 
timber,  either  deciduous  or  evergreen. 

Still  a  fourth  count,  supplementary  to 
these,  is  needed.  The  average  farm  in 
the  Northeastern  States  contains  about 
100  acre.s,  and  the  average  count  hitherto 
has  been  of  the  birds  nesting  on  the  50 
acres  of  the  farm  nearest  to  and  includ- 


ing the  farm  buildings.  It  is  now  neces- 
sary to  obtain  counts  of  the  remainder  of 
the  farm,  the  wilder  part  containing  no 
buildings,  especially  on  the  same  farms 
where  counts  about  the  buildings  have 
alreadj'  been  made. 

Furthermore,  counts  on  any  other  kinds 
of  land  are  much  desired  for  comparison. 

Persons  who  have  made  counts  in 
previous  years  are  requested  to  repeat  the 
work  on  the  same  areas.  New  areas 
selected  should  be  such  as  are  not  likely 
to  have  their  physical  conditions  much 
changed  for  a  number  of  years.  If  suc- 
ceeding annual  counts  show  changes  in 
bird  population,  it  will  thus  be  known 
that  they  are  not  due  to  changed  en- 
vironment. 

The  several  kinds  of  counts  are  needed 
for  a  study  of  the  relative  abundance  of 
birds  under  changing  or  stationary  con- 
ditions. It  is  hoix?d  that  many  persons 
interested  in  bird  life  will  make  one  or 
more  counts  this  season.  As  the  depart- 
ment has  no  funds  to  pay  for  this  work, 
it  must  depend  wholly  on  voluntary 
observers.  A  supply  of  report  blanks 
will  be  furnished  on  request.  Requests 
for  these  should  be  addressed  to  Chief, 
Bureau  of  Biological  Survey,  U.  S.  De- 
partment of  Agriculture,  Washington, 
D.  C. 

BEAR  PROTECTION  FAVORED. 
It  is  reported  that  interest  in  black  bear 
protection  is  always  increased  at  the  time 
of  a  blackleg  epidemic  in  that  the  bears 
can  be  depended  upon  to  eat  up  cattle 
which  have  died  from  blackleg,  thus  help- 
ing to  prevent  the  spread  of  disease. 
Residents  of  Tuolumne  County  in  past 
years  have  been  wide  awake  to  this  benefit 
conferred  by  the  black  bear. 


CALIFORNIA    FISH    AND    GAME.  127 

FACTS  OF  CURRENT  INTEREST. 
Work  on  the  new  $30,000  Tahoe  Hatchery  was  resumed  May  1 
and  it  will  be  ready  for  occupancy  August  15. 


Ray  Morris  of  Taft,  California,  was  tried  on  March  10,  1920,  on 
the  charge  of  having  deer  in  his  possession  during  the  closed  season. 
He  was  sentenced  to  thirty  days  in  jail  and  fined  $250. 


Floyd  E,  Baker  of  Los  Angeles  was  caught  by  Deputy  Ober  in 
Nine  Mile  Canyon,  Inyo  County,  while  attempting  to  leave  the 
mountains  with  twenty-four  deer  hides  and  nine  sets  of  antlers  which 
he  had  secured  in  Tulare  County.  He  was  tried  April  27,  and 
sentenced  to  150  days  in  jail  and  a  fine  of  $350. 


Low  water  conditions  have  precluded  a  large  take  of  rainbow 
trout  eggs  this  season.  At  some  of  the  best  egg  collecting  stations 
but  small  takes  of  eggs  have  been  secured. 


The  Fish  and  Game  Commission  has  carried  its  educational  cam- 
paign into  the  sum,mer  resorts  of  the  state.  In  cooperation  with  the 
National  Park  Service,  lectures  and  field  trips  are  being  furnished 
visitors  to  Yosemite  National  Park. 


According  to  records  kept  by  deputy  game  commissioners  and  forest 
employees,  1243  deer  were  killed  in  Trinity  County  during  last  year. 
It  is  estimated  the  total  number  was  at  least  2000,  as  many  hunters 
come  into  the  county  during  the  hunting  season  and  kill  deer,  records 
of  which  are  never  kept. 


128 


CALIFORNIA   FISH   AND   GAME. 


HATCHERY  NOTES. 

W.  II.  SiiEBLKY,  Editor. 


(>u  April  oU,  the  apijlicatiou  lists  for 
fish  for  the  season  of  1920  were  closed. 
Prior  to  this  date  application  blanks  had 
been  forwarded  to  all  sections  of  the 
state,  in  order  that  interested  parties 
niijibt  ha\e  ample  opportunity  of  filing 
applications  for  fish  for  the  purpose  of 
stocking  all  streams  open  to  the  general 
public  for  fishing  purposes.  The  appli- 
cants were  cautioned  that  it  was  very 
necessary  to  have  their  formal  applica- 
tions on  file  in  the  oflice  of  the  Depart- 
ment of  Fish  Culture  prior  to  the  date  of 
closing,  in  order  that  they  might  be 
assured  of  receiving  a  supply  of  trout 
fry   this   season. 

Nearly  five  hundred  applications  were 
received,  and  they  came  from  every  sec- 
tion of  the  state  where  cond'tions  are 
favorable  for  the  planting  of  trout  fry. 
The  majority  of  the  applications  were 
received  from  private  individuals,  although 
there  were  also  a  considerable  number 
received  from  boards  of  supervisors, 
chambers  of  commerce,  public  associations 
of  anglers  and   fishing  clubs. 

The  season  just  closing  has  been  a 
very  unfavorable  one  for  collecting  trout 
eggs.  P]very  egg  collecting  station  was 
in  operation  this  season  and  every  effort 
was  made  to  obtain  a  larger  number  of 
trout  eggs  than  ever  before,  as  it  was 
realized  that  the  demand  for  fry  would 
be  greater  than  ever  before  in  the  history 
of  the  Commission.  The  completion  of 
the  hundreds  of  miles  of  new  highways 
and  the  ever  increasing  number  of 
anglers  is  in  large  measure  responsible 
for   the  increasing  demand. 

The  drought  of  the  past  winter  and 
early  spring  made  it  very  difiicult  to 
obtain  even  a  fair  take  of  eggs  at  some 
of  the  best  stations.  The  streams  were 
so  low  in  some  sections  that  the  spawn- 
ing trout  could  not  possibly  ascend  the 
streams  to  the  points  at  which  the  egg 
collecting  stations  are  located.  This 
condition  was  noticeable  at  the  Snow 
Mountain  Egg  Collecting  Station  on  the 
Eel  River,  where  in  normal  seasons  from 
four  to  seven  million  steelhead  eggs  are 
obtained.  This  season  less  than  one 
million   eggs   were   taken  at   this   station. 

The  run  of  fish  in  Scott  Creek  where 
the  Scott  Creek  Egg  Collecting  Station 
is  located,  was  also  far  below  normal  and 


less  than  half  llie  usual  number  of  steel- 
head  trout  eggs  were  obtained. 

In  the  Bear  Lake  section,  in  San 
Bernardino  County,  where  new  racks, 
traps,  holding  tanks,  etc.,  have  been 
installed  on  the  streams  tributary  to  the 
lake,  the  take  of  rainbow  trout  eggs  was 
practically  a  failure.  Where  there  was 
every  reason  to  exjicct  a  take  of  from 
four  to  six  million  eggs,  only  one  and 
one-half  million  were  obtained.  In  this 
si'ction  the  long  drought  was  followed 
in  the  early  spring  months  by  heavy 
snows  and  stormy  weather.  As  the 
season  advanced  water  in  the  lake  was 
comparatively  warm,  while  the  streams 
flowing  into  the  lake  ran  bank  full  of 
cold,  roily  water  from  the  melting  snows 
in  the  surrounding  mountains.  Under 
these  conditions  the  spawning  fish,  which 
had  gathered  close  to  the  mouths  of  the 
creeks,  would  not  enter  the  streams  to 
spawn  except  in  limited  numbers.  Over 
retention  of  the  eggs  resulted  and  con- 
sequently when  the  fish  were  taken  in 
our  traps,  the  majority  of  the  eggs  were 
impossible    of    fertilization. 

At  the  Klamath  River  stations  in 
Siskiyou  County  there  was  a  fair  run 
of  rainbow  trout  and  a  fair  take  of  eggs 
was  obtained. 

Conditions  at  the  Almanor  Hatchery 
in  Plumas  County  were  unfavorable  for 
egg  collecting  operations  and  we  were 
unable  to  take  any  eggs  at  the  station. 
A  fair  take,  however,  was  obtained  at 
Clear  Creek  Hatchery  and  the  Domingo 
Springs  Hatchery  promises  to  turn  out 
a    million   or   so   of    rainbow    trout   eggs. 

The  water  levels  in  Lake  Tahoe  were 
far  below  normal  this  spring,  and  while 
the  season  has  not  closed  at  this  writing, 
it  is  extremely  doubtful  if  more  than  a 
third  of  the  normal  take  of  black-spotted 
trout  eggs  will  be  obtained. 

Our  extensive  system  of  breeding  ponds 
at  the  Mount  Shasta  Hatchery  has,  how- 
ever, produced  a  fine  large  take  of  Loch 
Ijcven  and  brown  trout  eggs  and  also  a 
nice  lot  of  eastern  brook  eggs.  These 
eggs  have  all  been  hatched,  and  the 
resulting  fry  are  thriving  well  and  will 
soon    be   ready    for   distribution. 

Under  these  conditions  it  will  be 
readily  seen  that  the  number  of  trout 
fry    available   during   this   coming   season 


caijIfornia  pish  and  game. 


129 


will  be  less  than  during  several  previous 
years,  and  consequently  the  allotments 
to  the  various  applicants  will  be  materi- 
ally less  than  usual. 

Two  distribution  cars  will  start  out 
with  fish  about  the  middle  of  June,  and 
applicants  are  urged  to  take  every  pre- 
caution to  insure  the  safe  delivery  of 
all  the  fish  allotted  to  them. 

Applicants  are  instructed  to  make 
proix^r  arrangements  for  meeting  the  fish 
cars  promptly  on  arrival  of  the  train  as 
scheduled,  provided  with  adequate  trans- 
portation to  handle  the  fish  from  the 
station  to  the  streams  to  be  stocked. 
Also  that  they  have  on  hand  the  amount 


stream  and  then  inclining  the  top  of  the 
can  up  stream  thus  allowing  the  water  to 
flow  gently  into  the  can,  or  by  pouring 
out  a  portion  of  the  water  from  the  can 
and  filling  it  with  water  from  the  stream 
to  equalize  the  temperature.  Fish  should 
always  be  planted  ib  shallow,  running 
water,  avoiding  pools,  and  should  be  well 
scattered. 

In  the  past,  in  many  instances,  con- 
siderable numbers  of  fish  have  been 
planted  by  some  of  the  applicants  at  one 
or  two  .joints  on  a  stream.  Far  better 
results  can  be  obtained  by  distributing 
the  fish  a  can  at  each  point  along  a 
considerable   distance   of   the   stream. 


Fig.   36.     The  old  Tahoe  Hatchery,  which  will  be  abandoned  when   the  new  hatchery 

is  completed. 


of  ice  required  as  per  instructions  mailed 
to  them  in  advance  of  the  date  of  ship- 
ment. The  applicants  are  further  urged 
to  follow  instructions  carefully  in  the 
matter  of  avoiding  delays  in  order  that 
the  work  of  aeration  of  the  water  may 
be  lessened  and  to  insure  the  fish  arriv- 
ing at  the  streams  at  the  earliest  possi- 
ble moment  and  in  the  best  condition. 
Attention  is  called  to  the  fact  that  it  is 
necessary  to  keep  the  fish  protected  from 
bright  sunlight,  when  removing  the  covers 
of  the  cans  for  the  purpose  of  aerating 
the  water  or  inspecting  the  fish. 

On  reaching  the  waters  to  be  stocked 
the  temperature  of  the  water  should  be 
equalized  by  placing  a  can  of  fish  in  the 


In  planting  fish  where  it  is  necessary 
to  carry  the  cans  any  distance  from  the 
wagon  or  auto  truck,  it  is  imperative  that 
someone  remain  with  the  wagon  and 
aerate  the  water  in  the  remaining  cans 
of  fish  during  each  planting.  Also  when 
stops  are  made  for  meals  or  other  delays 
someone  must  be  left  with  the  fish  to 
give   the  water  the   necessary   aeration. 

It  is  hoped  that  approximately 
15,000,000  trout  fry  will  be  available 
for  distribution,  despite  the  unfavorable 
conditions  for  egg  collecting  operations 
this  year,  and  if  this  number  are  properly 
planted,  the  streams  will  be  provided  with 
an  adequate  number  of  fry  to  insure 
fairly  good   fishing  next  season. 


130 


CALIFORNIA    FISH    AND    GAME. 


NOTES  FROM  THE  STATE  FISHERIES  LABORATORY.* 

Will  F.   Tiiompson,  Editor. 


THE  "DAY"  AND  "NIGHT"  SURF- 
FISHES  OF  NORTHERN  CALI- 
FORNIA. 

It  is  very  obvious  that  we  kuow  com- 
paratively little  about  the  fishes  which 
inhabit  the  surf,  or  come  there  to  spawn 
at  the  proper  seasons.  Notes  regarding 
them  are  all  of  some  value  and  usually 
will  form  valuable  additions  to  our 
knowledge.  The  following  are  made  from 
specimens  received  from  Captain  Tib- 
betts,  of  Eureka,  to  whom  we  are  there- 
fore   considerably    indebted. 

In  California  Fish  and  Game  for 
October,  1019  (Volume  5,  No.  4),  on 
page  203,  Captain  Tibbetts  is  quoted 
regai'ding  two  species  of  fish  which  are 
caught  in  the  surf.  One  of  these,  known 
as  the  "night  surf-fisli,"  he  believed  to 
be  the  grunion,  but  upon  our  expressing 
some  doubt  regarding  this,  he  sent  us 
three  specimens,  taken  a  little  south  of 
Trinidad  Harbor,  on  the  ocean  beach. 
They  prove  to  be  a  species  of  the  genus 
Osmerus,  and  its  occurrence  under  the 
conditions  noted  is  a  fact  well  worthy  of 
attention.  What  its  habits  are,  and 
whether  it  spawns  in  the  surf,  is  not 
known. 

Captain  Tibbetts  was  also  kind  enough 
to  send  us  four  specimens  of  the  "day 
surf-fish."  These,  as  we  surmised  in  the 
article  quoted  above,  belonged  to  the 
genus  Hypomesiis,  which  is  caught  in  the 
surf  along  the  California  Coast  north  of 
Monterey. 

THE    GRUNION    AT    MONTEREY. 

The  spawning  of  the  grunion  is  not 
known  north  of  Long  Beach,  either  to 
scientific  men  or  to  others.  But,  as 
Mr.  Carl  L.  Ilubbs  has  pointed  out  to  us 
in  a  recent  letter,  the  type  specimen  of 
the  species  was  recorded  as  from  San 
Francisco.  Jordan  and  Hubbs  in  their 
review  of  the  family  Atherinidw  state 
that  the  original  specimen  came  from 
San  Francisco  Bay,  in  which  they  sup- 
posed the  species  to  live.  However,  this 
is  improbable,  wiien  the  life  history  of 
the    species    and    its    habits    of    spawning 


in  the  sand  are  considered.  It  "s  more 
likely  that  the  fish  was  found  -n  the 
markets,  and  came  from  some  other 
locality  on  the  open  ocean  close  to  San 
Francisco.  A  specimen  of  the  grunion 
was  found,  on  February  28  of  this  year, 
in  the  Monterey  markets  among  fish 
taken   locally   in   a  seine. 

In  view  of  this  proof  of  the  presence 
of  the  species  in  these  waters,  high  hopes 
were  entertained  that  this  remarkable 
species  would  be  found  spawning  on  the 
beach  in  northern  waters,  and  attempts 
wore  made,  in  so  far  as  circumstances 
permitted,    to    find    them    or    their    eggs. 

On  the  night  of  March  6  Mr.  Wey- 
mouth and  Mr.  Sette  kept  watch  on 
the  beach  at  Occano,  and  found  no 
sign  of  spawning  nsh,  although  the 
tide  was  the  same  approximately  as 
that  of  the  first  run  of  the  preceding 
year  at  Ix)ng  Beach.  Since  the  beach  at 
Oceano  is  a  splendid  one,  it  was  hoped 
that  proof  of  their  presence  would  be 
obtained   there   if  any   run   occurred. 

On  April  6  a  thorough  search  for  eggs 
was  made  by  Mr.  Thompson,  Mr.  Sette 
and  Miss  Edwards  along  the  beach 
between  Del  Monte  and  Seaside  in 
Monterey  Bay,  but  no  signs  of  them  were 
found,  although  if  spawning  had  occurred 
to  any  extent  during  the  preceding  full 
moon  tides,  which  were  at  their  crest  on 
the  third  of  April,  they  would  have  been 
found.  Again,  on  May  5,  two  nights 
after  the  full  of  the  moon  of  May  3, 
Mr.  Thompson  and  Mr.  Weymouth 
patrolled  the  beach  during  the  proper 
stages  of  the  tide,  but  saw  no  signs  of 
the  fish  themselves.  In  conjunction  with 
the  total  lack  of  popular  knowledge  of 
a  run.  these  attempts  throw  a  certain 
amount  of  doubt  on  the  occurrence  of 
any  extensive  spawning  run  in  these 
waters.  It  is  of  course  still  possible 
that  a  small  run  occurs  somewhere  near 
by,  perhaps  even  on  Del  Monte  Beach,  or 
it  may  be  that  the  specimens  to  be 
found  here  are  simply  strays.  Further 
search  will  be  made  whenever  opportunity 
offers. 


♦California   State   Fisheries  Laboratory,   Contribution   No.    19. 


CALIFORNIA   FISH   AND    GAME. 


131 


ENEMIES     OF     THE     GRUNION     AT 
LONG     BEACH. 

The  nornial  rim  of  gruniou  occurrod  at 
Long  Beach  ou  May  4,  5  aud  G,  and  ou 
the  fourteenth  Mr.  Thompson  and 
Mr.  Higgius  obtained  large  numbers  of 
pods  of  eggs  for  the  purpose  of  photo- 
graphing the  hatching  when  the  eggs  were 
in  the  proper  stage.  Greatly  to  their 
surprise,  every  third  pod  at  least  was 
badly  infected  with  maggots,  presumably 
those  of  the  same  fly  wliose  maggots 
were  found  the  preceding  year  but  of 
which  the  species  name  was  not  deter- 
mined. Even  the  pods  set  aside  as  clean 
were  subsequently  found  to  be  infected, 
and  it  proved  impossible  to  raise  the  eggs 
to  the  hatching  stage  without  great 
injury.  Not  one  in  twenty-five  of  the 
eggs  would  hatch  when  the  proper  time 
came,  although  they  were  for  the  most 
part  alive.  As  the  normal  percentage 
is  near  100,  this  was  a  considerable 
disappointment  to  the  photographer.  The 
failure  to  hatch  was  undoubtedly  due  to 
the  maggots,  in  conjunction  with  a  very 
extensive  infection  by  a  small  nematode 
worm  which  accompanied  the  maggots. 
The  sand  in  which  the  eggs  were  was 
foul   and   ill   smelling. 

ALBACORE    OFF    SAN     FRANCISCO    IN 
DECEMBER. 

Mr.  H.  B.  Nidever,  assistant  in  the 
Sau  Pedro  office,  furnishes  the  following 
note   regarding   the   albacore : 

F.  G.  Grotto,  of  San  Pedro,  who  has 
fished  for  albacore  here  for  several 
seasons,  tells  me  that  while  he  was 
making  a  trip  on  the  "Daisy  Mathiews," 
a  lumber  schooner  from  San  Francisco 
to  Honolulu,  he  caught  two  albacore 
trolling    from    the     steamer     about    280 


miles  out  from  San  Francisco.  He  said 
that  he  saw  two  schools  of  fish  and 
that  those  he  caught  weighed  18  to  20 
pounds  and  that  they  had  squid  in  their 
stomachs.  The  gonads  of  the  fish  were 
about  one  foot  long  and  he  could  see 
developing  eggs  about  the  size  of  a  pin 
head.  They  were  caught  on  the  eight- 
eentli  of  December,  1919. 

The  reader  who  is  interested  might 
refer  to  a  record  of  the  taking  of  alba- 
core off  Northern  California,  on  page 
203  of  the  October  number  of  California 
Fish  and  Game  for  1919.  Such  records 
are  interesting  as  showing  extremes  of 
distribution. 

OIL    ON    PISMO    BEACH. 

Professor  Weymouth,  engaged  in  study- 
ing Pismo  clams  for  the  Commission, 
reports  that  on  the  twenty-first  and 
twenty-second  of  May,  on  the  beach  at 
Oceano  and  Pismo,  a  great  many  dead 
sea  birds  were  observed  covered  with  oil, 
and  that  many  more  still,  alive  were 
lying  on  the  beach  with  their  feathers 
gummed  with  heavy  oil.  Dogs  running 
on  the  beach  chased  and  killed  many  of 
these.  Ducks  of  various  species  and  loons 
were  observed  among  them.  Professor 
Weymouth  stated  that  he  did  not  observe 
any  clams  dead  from  oil,  probably  be- 
cause he  was  not  on  the  beach  at  the 
right   time. 

The  destruction  caused  among  birds  and 
mollusks  by  floating  crude  oil  has  been 
pointed  out  several  times  in  these  col- 
umns, and  it  is  evident  that  the  damage 
is  still  proceeding.  An  article  by  Pro- 
fessor Weymouth  in  regard  to  the 
destruction  of  mollusks  appeared  in  Cali- 
fornia Fish  and  Game,  volume  5,  No.  4, 
page    174. 


CONSERVATION  IN  OTHER  ^STATES. 


NEW    YORK    DISPLAYS   COLORED 
MOTION    PICTURES. 

Motion  pictures  in  natural  colors, 
showing  the  Adirondacks  in  summer  and 
also  at  the  height  of  their  autumnal 
brilliancy,  will  form  one  of  the  special 
features  of  the  New  York  Conservation 
Commission  in  carrying  on  its  educational 
compaign.  These  natural  colored  motion 
pictures,  taken  during  the  past  season, 
are  the  first  of  their  kmd  ever  taken  in 


the   Adirondacks,    and   were   produced   by 
an   entirely   new   process. 

HEAVY  PENALTIES  FOR  HUNTERS 
IN  MICHIGAN. 
Five  hundred  dollars,  the  maximum 
fine,  recently  was  levied  by  a  judge  in 
Michigan  against  a  hunter  for  selling  32 
ducks  in  violation  of  the  Migratory  Bird 
Treaty  Act.  Another  violator  of  the 
same  law,   in   Connecticut,   who   has  been 


132 


CALIFORNIA    FISH   AND    GAME. 


guilty  of  repeated  offenses,  was  senteuced 
recently  to  three  months  in  jail.  This 
offender  was  not  jtiven  the  alternative  of 
paying  a  fine.  The  Migratory  Bird 
Treaty  Act  has  been  in  force  since  July, 
1918,  and  several  hundred  convictions 
have  been  secured.  These  cases  are  cited 
by  the  Biological  Survey,  United  States 
Department  of  Agriculture,  which  admin- 
isters the  law,  to  show  the  increasing 
concern  with  which  the  courts  regard 
violations  of  this  important  statute, 
designed  to  protect  migratory  birds, 
insectivorous  birds  and  nongame  birds. 

COOPERATIVE     INTEREST 
BETWEEN    STATES. 

The  New  York  Zoological  Society  offered 
a  reward  of  $200  for  the  arrest  and 
conviction  of  any  one  killing  antelope. 
On  December  11,  IDID,  the  following 
resolution    was   passed  : 

Resolved,  that  the  chairman  be  directed 
to  notify  Mr.  Willian  L.  Finley,  State 
Biologist  of  Oregon,  that  the  New  York 
Zoological  Society  hereby  authorizes  and 
will  pay  a  reward  of  $200  for  information 
leading  to  the  arrest  and  conviction  of 
any  one  killing  wild  antelope  in  the  State 
of  Oregon,  upon  the  condition  that  the 
Oregon  Fish  and  (lame  Commission  give 
publicity  and  post  notices  to  the  above 
effect,  and  the  treasurer  of  the  society 
is  hereby  authorized  to  pay  from  the 
funds  of  the  society  the  stated  reward 
upon  satisfactory  evidence  of  such  con- 
viction. 

Tlie  payment  of  this  reward  h;is  been 
autliorizcd  and  a  check  for  $100  has 
been  sent  to  Mr..  George  Tonkin,  U.  S. 
(in  1110  AYnrdcn,  box  ir)31,  Boise,  Idaho, 
and  11  elieek  for  $100  has  also  been 
sent  to  Sheriff  E.  E.  Woodcock,  Lake- 
\iow,  Oregon. 

The  Boone  and  Crockett  Club  are 
about  to  pass  a  similar  resolution,  which 
will  apply   to  future  convictions  only. 

WATER    POLLUTION    IN    OHIO. 

For  ten  years  the  water  pollution 
problem  was  ineffectually  dealt  with  in 
Ohio.  Between  1909-1919  the  responsi- 
bility of  the  yearly  increasing  urgency  for 
action  was  passed  from  one  department 
to  the  other — Health,  Fish  and  Game 
and  the  State  Chemists.  The  chemists 
accumulated  much  analytical  information 
but  they  seemed  to  have  found  no  remedy. 
In  1919  Mr.   A.   C.  Baxter,  Chief  of  the 


Ohio  department,  Mr.  J.  W.  Stnber  and 
-Mr.  J.  T.  Travcrs,  Supervisor  Stream 
rollution,  Ohio  Department  of  Agricul- 
ture, took  hold  of  the  question  and  now, 
after  having  conducted  experiments  for 
over  a  year,  Mr.  Travels  and  Mr.  E.  J. 
Lewis,  a  water  exixTt  ami  cluniist  of 
Bellaire,  Ohio,  are  ready  to  demonstrate 
the  satisfactory  results  of  thi'ir  experi- 
mentation. 

The  process  is  the  treatment  of  the 
pollution  in  vats  as  it  leaves  the  factory 
or  mine  with  a  chemical  having  a  lime 
base.  This  chemical  precipitates  or  con- 
trols any  organic  pollution  held  in  sus- 
pension in  the  vats,  and  also  releases 
any    poisonous   gases. 

The  cost  of  the  treatment  is  from  2 
to  3  cents  per  thousand  gallons,  depend- 
ing on  the  nature  of  the  pollution,  and 
the  cost  of  installation  is  about  $],000. 
It  is  claimed  that  the  by-products  will 
often  more  than  pay  for  the  cost  of 
installation  and  operation.  The  charac- 
ter and  amount  of  polluted  matter  which 
is  emptied  into  the  Ohio  streams  daily 
is   as   follows : 

Steel  Mills — Sulphuric  acid,  three  per 
cent  solution.  Six  thousand  gallons  per 
day  as  an  average  from  each  factory 
polluting  streams. 

tStraw  Board  Works — Organic  matter 
which  generates  poison  gases  that  dis- 
place the  oxygen  in  the  water  and  causes 
a  sickening  stench.  Average  of  SOO.tXlO 
gallons  every  24  hours  emptied  into 
adjacent  streams  at  each   plant. 

Si(gar-hcct  Factories — Deadly  organic 
matter  which  drives  the  oxygen  from  the 
water  and  kills  every  living  thing  in  it. 
An  average  of  8.000,000  gallons  every 
24  hours  from  each  sugar-beet  factory  in 
the  state  that  uses  a  stream  as  a  sewer. 

Canning  Factories,  Cheese  Factories 
and  Casein  Factories — Deadly  organic 
pollution.  Two  thousand  gallons  per  day 
from  each  factory  that  empties  pollution 
into  a  waterway  or  stream. 

Coal  Mines — ^Copperas  water  contain- 
ing from  300  to  500  grains  per  gallon  of 
ferrous  sulphate,  deadly  to  aquatic  life 
of  all  kinds  and  strong  enough  to  cat 
up  a  steel  rail  in  ten  days.  From 
10,000  to  50,000  gallons  per  day,  each 
mine. 

The  probl(>m  of  stream  pollution  to 
all  State  Fish  and  Game  Commissions 
is  one  of  vital  importance  because  of  the 
extiM'ininatiiig  effect  of  jiolhition  on  all 
forms    of    aquatic    life. 

The  manufacturers  throughout  the 
State  of  Ohio  are  planning  to  install   the 


CALIFORNIA   PISH   AND   GAME. 


133 


system  as  soon  as  possible  and  the 
opportunity  will  be  open  to  the  other 
states  of  the  Union  to  profit  by  this  most 
valuable  discovery. 

GAME  LAWS  IN  MASSACHUSETTS. 
The  game  law  of  Massachusetts  makes 
an  open  season  on  deer  in  that  state  from 
sunrise  on  the  first  Monday  of  December 
to  sunset  the  following  Saturday,  the 
bag  limit  being  one  deer  in  a  season,  and 
it  to  be  killed  with  a  shotgun.  There 
is  no  open  season  in  Massachusetts  on 
ruffed  grouse,  but  quail  and  pheasants 
may  be  hunted  legally  each  year  from 
October  20  to  November  20.  The  bag 
limit    on    quail    is    four    in    one    day,    or 


twenty  during  the  season,  and  on  pheas- 
ants  two   in   a   day,   or  six   in   a  season. 

American  Field. 

GAME  LAWS  IN  COLORADO. 
In  Colorado  there  is  no  open  season 
on  elk,  mountain  sheep,  antelope  or 
beaver,  but  one  is  permitted  to  kill  one 
deer  having  two  or  more  points  on  each 
horn,  from  October  1  to  October  4,  both 
dates  inclusive.  Aliens  are  not  permitted 
to  hunt  in  the  state  or  to  own  or 
possess  firearms.  Shipment  of  game  out 
of  or  into  the  state  is  permissible,  pro- 
viding the  shipper  has  a  transportation 
permit  issued  by  the  State  Game  Commis- 
sioner,   but    not    otherwise. 

American    Field. 


LIFE  HISTORY  NOTES. 


A  CALIFORNIA  CONDOR  SEEN  NEAR 
HEAD  OF  DEER  CREEK. 

On  May  11,  1920,  while  inspecting  a 
timber  sale  area  at  the  head  of  Deer 
Creek,  east  of  Hot  Springs,  California, 
in  the  Sequoia  National  Forest,  with 
Supervisors  Cunningham  and  Benedict 
and  Deputy  Supervisor  Derby,  we  noted 
an  immense  bird  circling  over  the  clump 
of  redwoods  {Sequoia  gigantea)  on  Deer 
Creek.  The  bird  settled  in  the  top  of 
one  of  these  trees  400  /o  500  yards  away 
from  us.  In  flight  it  was  like  a  buzzard, 
except  that  it  was  entirely  too  large. 
It  had  a  brownish  beak,  a  ruff  around  its 
neck,  a  light  brownish  color  on  the  under 
feathers  of  its  wings,  and  it  had  a  very 
large  wing  spread.  It  appeared  to  be  an 
adult  specimen,  the  white  tipped  wing 
coverts  and  lanceolate  feathers  about  the 
neck  being  particularly  noticeable.  We 
judged  at  the  time  that  it  must  be  a 
specimen      of      the      California      condor 


(Gymnogyps  calif ornicus) ,  and  in  look- 
ing up  the  subject  on  our  return  to  Hot 
Springs  the  description  for  that  bird 
fitted  very  well  the  bird  we  had  seen. 
Paul  G.  Redington. 

ducks  in  the  imperial  valley. 
During  December  ducks  were  fairly 
numerous  in  the  Salton  Sea  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Alamo  River,  in  Imperial  County, 
but  they  Avere  very  difficult  to  approach 
and  very  few  sportsmen  were  able  to  se- 
cure more  than  five  or  six  birds  at  a 
time.  A  preponderance  of  shovellers  was 
in  evidence.  Even  with  an  abundance  of 
ducks  good  shooting  is  limited  in  the 
Imperial  Valley,  owing  to  a  lack  of  suit- 
able shooting  ponds.  Apparently  the  best 
bags  are  obtained  at  certain  seasons  of 
the  year  when  a  high  wind  is  blowing.  At 
such  times  canvasbacks  and  "bluebills" 
are  secured  along  their  lines  of  flight. 


134 


CALIFORNIA   FISH   AND   GAME. 


UNITED  STATES  FOREST  SERVICE  COOPERATION. 


STEELHEAD     TROUT     IN     THE     CALI- 
FORNIA    NATIONAL     FOREST. 

There  are  a  number  of  streams  in  the 
California  National  Forest  well  stocked 
with  lish.  Those  on  the  east  side, 
flowing  into  the  Sacramento  River,  are 
stocked  with  rainbow  trout ;  and  on 
the  west  side,  the  streams  tributary 
to  Eel  River,  with  steelhe'ad  trout.  A 
few  other  varieties,  such  as  Loch  I.even, 
eastern  brook  and  l)lack-apotted  trout, 
have  been  introduced  into  the  east 
side  streams.  It  is  (•(luinionly  believed  tliat 
steelhead  trout,  after  attaining  a  length 
of  7  or  S  inches,  migrate  to  the  ocean, 
returning  after  maturity,  being  usually 
from  24  to  40  inches  in  length  and 
weighing  from  5  to  15  pounds.  These 
large  steelheads  have  been  coming  up  the 
various  branches  of  Eel  River  only,  prob- 
ably for  all  time :  but  until  recently 
they  were  practically  exterminated  every 
year  by  Indian  fishermen.  There  is  one 
stream  on  the  forest,  the  north  fork  of 
the  Middle  Fork  of  Eel  River,  which  has 
many  large,  deep  holes  in  which  these 
fish  stay  all  summer  if  unmolested,  and 
as  they  readily  take  a  hook  they  furnish 
splendid  sport.  Until  the  past  few  years 
tlie  Indians  have  systematically  netted 
and  blasted  these  holes  until  they  got 
every  fish.  We  have  been  making  a  de- 
termined effort  to  stop  this  practice,  with 
some  results.  During  the  past  season  two 
Indians  were  caught  in  the  act  of  using 
illegal  nets,  one  of  whom  plead  guilty  to 
the  charge  and  a  fine  of  $100  was  im- 
posed  on   him. 

DEER  SEASON  TOO  EARLY  ON  THE 
EL  DORADO  FOREST. 

The  open  sea.sou  on  deer  in  Fish  and 
Game  District  l-I  is  believed  by  local 
forest  officers  to  be  entirely  too  early.  It 
had  far  better  be  reduced  to  one  month, 
from  September  15  to  October  15,  than 
as  it  is  at  present.  August  15  to  Septem- 
ber 15  is  a  very  hot  period,  and  many 
of  the  deer  killed,  or  large  parts  thereof, 
spoil  and  are  unfit  for  use. 

In  quite  a  few  of  the  streams  on  the 
north  side  the  fish  (trout  being  the  only 
game  species)  are  pretty  w^ell  depleted 
since  up  to  last  year  little  or  no  replen- 
ishing was  done.  Many  of  the  Takes  never 
have   had   any  in    them.     At   the  proper 


Mime  consideralili-  c<i()i)eration  can  be  got- 
ten from  interested  parties,  and  the  For- 
est Service  should  plan  to  be  in  position, 
financially,   to  help  out. 

MULE  DEER  ON  THE  LASSEN 
FOREST. 

Big  game,  as  it  goes  in  California,  is 
to  be  found  on  the  Liassen  in  abundance. 
The  mule  deer  {Odocoileus  hcmioniin)  is 
plentiful  in  the  northeastern  part  and 
appear  to  be  on  the  increase.  They  win- 
ter in  the  lava  beds  of  Lassen  and  Modoc 
counties,  and  follow  the  snow  to  the  higher 
areas  in  the  spring.  The  bucks  do  not 
run  with  the  does  during  the  sununor. 
Both,  however,  stay  at  comparatively  low 
elevations  until  the  middle  of  the  summer 
when  the  bucks  go  to  the  high  ridges. 
They  will  stay  on  the  summer  range 
until  there  is  considerable  snow  before 
moving  to  the  lower  elevations.  All  move 
out  together  over  well  defined  trails.  The 
rutting  season  is  November  and  Decem- 
ber and  the  fawns  are  born  in  May  and 
June.  They  usually  are  in  pairs,  one 
buck  and  one  doe.  The  game  refuge  1-F 
has  been  posted  and  we  do  not  believe 
that  there  was  any  hunting  within  this 
area  this  season.  It  is  well  situated  and 
should  be  a  material  factor  for  the  in- 
crease of  the  species  in  its  locality.  Thei'c 
is  considerable  controversy  as  to  whether 
or  not  the  mule  deer  and  Columbia  black- 
tail  deer  cross.  On  certain  ridges  and 
mountains  mule  deer  but  no  blacktail 
deer  will  be  found,  while  on  others  black- 
fail  only  are  found.  However,  several 
deer  have  been  killed  on  the  Lassen  with- 
in the  past  two  or  three  years  that  are 
apparently  crosses,  having  the  tail  of  the 
Columbia  blacktail  with  no  patch  of  white 
around  the  base  of  the  tail,  but  having 
all  other  appearances  of  the  mule  deer. 
One  of  these  is  reported  to  have  weighed 
one  hundred  and  eighty  pounds. 

The  only  other  species  of  deer  known 
to  be  indigenous  is  the  Columbia  black- 
tail.  This  species  is  found  in  every  part 
of  the  forest  but  less  often  in  the  country 
where  the  mule  deer  aboundi^.  This  deer 
winters  in  the  foothills  of  the  valley  and 
moves  to  the  higher  areas  as  the  snow  goes 
off.  During  the  spring  and  summer  the 
bucks  are  to  be  found  on  the  high  rough 
ridges   and    the    does   and    fawns  on   the 


CALIFORNIA   FISH   AND   GAME, 


135 


meadows  and  flats.  Bucks  are  often  seen 
at  the  timber  line  on  Brokeoff  Mountain 
and  Lassen  Peak  at  an  altitude  of 
approximately  OoOO  feet.  At  the  time  of 
the  first  snows  both  bucks  and  does 
begin  to  move  to  the  foothills.  Ordi- 
narily they  all  follow  one  or  two 
routes.  One  of  the  best  known  of  these 
is  down  the  ridge  between  Deer  and  Mill 
creeks,  just  north  of  game  refuge  1-G. 
The  last  few  days  of  the  season  dozens 
of  hunters  congregate  in  that  area  and' 
slaughter  the  deer  as  they  move  out.  We 
are  not  prepared  to  make  a  definite 
recommendation  at  this  time  but  it  seems 
I  hat  it  would  be  advisable  to  extend  the 
refuge  to  include  this  area.  Another  well 
defined  deer  trail  is  the  ridge  between 
Mill  Creek  and  Battle  Creek  at  Mineral. 
There  are  a  number  of  hunters  here  late 
in  the  season  too  but  apparently  not 
enough  to  warrant  the  creation  of  a  game 
refuge.  The  winter  range  is  the  foothills 
below  pine  timber.  The  summer  feed  is 
largely  browse  with  a  little  gras.s  and 
with  acorns.  Rutting  season  is  from  No- 
vember 1  to  December  15  and  the  young 
are  born  from  May  1  to  July  1.  As  a 
rule)  the  fawns  are  in  pairs,  one  doe  and 
one  buck.  The  bucks  shed  their  horns 
from  Februai-y  15  to  April  1.  Deer  were 
fairly  plentiful  last  year,  but  apparently 
have  decreased  5  per  cent  in  the  past 
twenty  years.  The  area  in  game  refuge 
1-G  is  well  adapted  for  the  purpose  in- 
tended but  we  are  advised  that  game 
violations  are  frequent.  Owing  to  the 
remoteness  of  the  area  from  the  center 
of  the  forest  and  the  press  of  other  work 
forest  officers  are  unable  to  give  the  ref- 
uge the  protection  that  it  should  have. 
If  wardens  could  be  appointed  for  the 
area  much  better  results  would  be  secured. 
During  the  winter,  when  the  state  game 
wardens  are  known  to  be  in  the  rice  fields, 
game  trespassers  are  said  to  be  numerous 
in  the  foothills.  Very  probably  an  occa- 
sional trip  by  the  state  game  wardens 
would  lessen  this  form  of  game  violation 
50  per  cent. 

The  Lassen  offers  some  of  the  best 
trout  fishing  in  California.  The  rainbow 
are  indigenous  to  practically  all  of  the 
streams.  In  past  years  rainbow,  eastern 
brook.  Lock  Leven  and  black-spotted  fry 
have  been  planted.  Of  these  the  eastern 
brook  and  rainbow  have  done  the  best. 
No  record  has  been  kept  of  the  relative 


number  of  each  species  plantedi  but  it  is 
found  that  in  the  streams  planted  the 
rainbow  have  done  the  best  in  the  deeply 
shaded  canyons  while  the  eastern  brook, 
black-spotted  and  Lock  Leven  have  done 
better  in  the  open  stream  as  it  flows 
through  meadows.  In  Battle  Creek  at 
Mineral  a  catch  will  average  60  per  cent 
eastern  brook,  5  per  cent  Lock  Leven, 
10  per  cent  black-spotted  and  25  per  cent 
rainbow  in  the  meadow  and  will  run  90 
per  cent  rainbow  in  the  canyon  less  than 
a  mile  away.  The  part  of  the  stream 
through  the  meadow  has  been  more  heav- 
ily planted  than  has  the  part  of  the 
stream  in  the  canyon.  Several  of  the 
sniall  lakes  within  the  forest  have  been 
planted.  Steelhead  were  planted  in  Juni- 
per and  Grassy  lakes  in  the  summer  of 
1914.  Two  and  three  pound  fish  were 
taken  from  this  lake  in  1918  and  some 
reported  to  weigh  ten  pounds  in  1919. 
There  has  been  considerable  discussion  as 
to  whether  these  fish  will  spawn  in  the 
lake  as  it  has  no  streams  running  into 
or  from  it.  Some  have  contended  that 
as  the  fish  are  unable  to  spawn  in  their 
usual  habits  they  will  die  and  that  within 
a  few  years  the  lake  shore  will  be  covered 
with  dead  fish.  This  has  not  occurred 
as  yet.  The  trout  planted  in  most  of  the 
streams  have  remained  quite  small.  The 
California  Fish  and  Game  Commission 
have  established  a  hatchery  and  egg  tak- 
ing station  within  the  forest  at  Domingo 
Springs  on  the  Feather  River  and  are 
planning  another  one  on  Warner  Creek. 
Both  of  these  streams  have  a  big  run  of 
rainbow  at  spawning  time  and  afford  ex- 
cellent fishing.  Steelhead  and  salmon  run 
up  both  Deer  and  Battle  creeks  from  the 
Sacramento  River  at  spawning  time.  In 
both  streams  there  is  a  high  falls  that 
keeps  them  from  reaching  the  headwaters. 
However,  it  might  be  advantageous  to 
blast  out  these  falls.  During  the  early 
eruptions  of  Mount  Lassen  and  the  sub- 
sequent flood  all  of  the  trout  in  Hat 
Creek  were  either  washed  away  or  killed. 
For  the  past  several  years  there  have 
been  practically  no  fish  in  the  creek.  The 
stream  is  now  becoming  clearer,  however, 
and  the  fish  are  beginning  to  appear 
again.  The  waters  of  this  stream  are 
largely  used  for  irrigation  and  the  resi- 
dents prefer  not  to  have  the  stream 
stocked  so  that  they  will  not  be  compelled 
to  put  in  fish  screens. 


136 


CALIFORNIA   FISH   AND   GAME. 


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COr^OOlOCDI^OCSf-HinCD-^l^COOmr-iFiOOOOioOlfHlOf--^ 


Imperial- 


San  Dlego- 


IOlftOOCO-1<MOO<Or-'  O'*r110O«eCOWi-li-l0> 

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1.03  Angeles 


San  Luis  Obispo, 
Santa  Barbara, 
Ventura 


Monterey- 


Santa  Cruz. 


San  Francisco, 
San  Mateo 


Contra  Costa, 
Alameda 


Tehama, 
Colusa, 
Glenn.. 


Sacramento, 
San  Joaquin. 


Solano,  Yolo. 


Marln- 


Mendoclno, 
Sonoma.  Lake. 


U5   N    05 
(M    W   IQ 

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Del  Norte. 
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CALIFORNIA   FISH   AND    GAME. 


137 


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138 


CALIFORNIA   FISH   AND   GAME. 


Mexican. 


§5 


Total. 


ss 


Imperial. 


San  Diego. 


Orange- 


Los  Angeles J 


San  Luis  Obispo,' 
Santa  Barbara, 
Ventura 


Monterey. 


Santa  Cruz. 


San  Francisco, 

San  Mateo... 


g 


Contra  Costa, 
Alameda 


Tehama. 
Colusa, 
Glenn... 


Sacramento. 
San  JoaQuin. 


Solano.  Yolo 


S 


Marin- 


Mendocino. 
Sonoma,  Lake. 


Del  Norte. 
Humboldt 


a 


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a 


s 


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a. 


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a 
o 


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03 

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L; Aijlii  UKiN  liV    r  1^511    Al\u    \jii\airj. 


VIOLATIONS    OF    FISH    AND    GAME    LAWS. 
January    1    to    March    31.    1920. 


Offense 


Number  of 
arrests 


Fines 
imposed 


Game. 

Hunting    without    license -— 

Trapping    wittiout    license 

Trapping  on  game  refuge 

Deer— close   season— killing   or  possession 

Female    deer— spike    bucks— fawns— killing    or    possession 

.Running   deer  with    dogs — close   season 

IJlegal    deer    hides— possession 

Beaver— beaver   hides— killing   or   possession 

Ouail— closed    season— killing    or    possession 

Quail  in  captivity  without  permit 

Ducks— excess  daily  limit— close  season— killing  or  possession 

Shooting  ducks  from  power  boat  in  motion 

Night    shooting    ... 

Doves— close    season— killing    or   possession 

.Swan— killing    or    possesion 

Pheasant— killing  or  possession 

Protected  shore  birds— killing  or  possession — 

Nongame  birds— killing  or  possessicn 

TTee  squirrels— closed  season— killing  or  possession 


Total  game  violations. 


Flsh. 
Angling   without   license 

Fishing  for  profit  without  license 

Making  false  statement  on  application 

Striped   bass— underweight— close   season 

Halibut— underweight — oi^ering    for   sale 

Barracuda- underweight — offering    for    sale 

Tront- excess  limit — offering  for  sale— closed  season. 
Lobsters,    dried — under   or    oversized — closed    season.. 

Crabs— undersized— closed  season  „ 

Abalones— red,  black  and  green— under  or  oversized- 
Clams— undersized— excess   limit 

Dynamiting    flsh    

Seining   in   restricted   waters 

Seining  within  750  feet  of  Redondo  Pier 

♦Seining  within  one  mile  of  Los  Angeles  city  sewer.. 
Pollution  of  state  waters 


Total    flsh    violations— 

Grand   total  flsh   and   game  violations. 


24 
5 
1 
9 
2 
2 
2 
2 
3 
1 
9 
8 

17 
1 
i 
1 
4 
5 
4 


104 


$420  00 

45  00 

100  00 

540  OO 

100  OO 

50  00 

90  OO 

125  OO 

75  00 

10  OO 

625  OO 

120'  OO 

625  00 

5  00 

175  00 

20  00 

85  00 

55  OO 

75  CO 


$3,340  CO 


10 

$235  CO 

6 

125  CO 

1 

25  OO 

4 

45  CO 

7 

155  00 

1 

8 

250  00 

15 

321  00 

4 

40  00 

S3 

670  CO 

11 

260  00 

2 
3 

600  00 

6 

650  OO 

3 

300  00 

1 

200  00 

115 

$3,876  OO 

219 

$7,216  00 

*Paid  into  Los  Angeles  County  treasury. 


140 


CALIFORNIA    FLSll    AND    GAME. 


SEIZURES— FISH    AND    GAME    AND    ILLEGALLY    USED    FISHING    APPARATUS. 

January    1,    1920,    to    March    31,    1920. 


Game. 

Deer   meat   298  pounds 

Ducks    .-— 780 

Gray  geese 17 


Rabbits    ..-- 

I.ive  quail  

Miscellaneous    birds 
Deer   hides   


70 
(i 
4 

13 


Fish. 

Halibut    .. 2,6:j8  pounds 

Barracuda 200  pounds 

Striped  bass  574  jiounds 

Catfish   50  pounds 

Trout    65 

Crabs    — 1,143 

Lobsters    955 

Lobsters  (dried)  131  pounds 

Abalcnjs 609  pounds 

Pismo  clams  506 

Cockle   clams 1,275  pounds 

Little   Neck   clams 220  pounds 

Illegal    nets 5 

Searches. 
Illegal    flsh    and    game.. 3 


Fish  and  Game  Commission 

STATEMENT    OF     EXPENDITURES. 

For   the    Period    July    1,    1919,   to   April   30,    1920. 
.Administration: 

Commissioners - $1,400  &4 

Executive    oflBccs    22,031  42 

Research    and   publicity 4,1S8  23 

-Accident  and  death  claims 1,902  31 

$32,979  32 

Commercial  flsh  culture  and  conservation: 

Superintendence    $11,105  57 

Inspection  and  patrol— — - — 25,051  65 

Research    -.  15,055  76 

Statistics    8,153  41 

Market  fishing  license  commissions 693  Oo 

Propagation  and  distribution  of  salmon 19,488  83 

79,560  22 

Sporting  flsh  culture  and  conservation: 

Superintendence $12,102  31 

Printing    1,£61  69 

Prosecutions   and   allowances 404  55 

Angling  license  commissions 11,765  70 

Special   field    investigation 252  35 

Fish  exhibits 7,203  91 

General  patrol  (pro  rata  share) — 

San  Francisco  District  (40  per  cent) _ — -  28,780  33 

Los  Angeles  District  (40  per  cent) 11.540  18 

Sacramento  District  (40  per  cent) 22,826  26 

Propagation  and  distributicn  of  trout -— 101,218  84 

197,964  12 

Game  conservation: 

Printing    $2,746  70 

Prosecutions    and    allowances 1,180  60 

Hunting  license  commissions  17,952  90 

Mountain  lion  hunting   (and  bounties) 6,062  48 

General  patrol  (pro  rata  share)— 

San  Francisco  District  (&)  per  cent). 43,161  57 

Los  Angeles  District  (60  per  cent) 17,310  30 

Sacramento  District   (60  per  cent)- 34,4(W  45 

122.819  03 

Tahoe  camping  ground- 2,964  39 

Total    expenditures    $436,287  U 


4339      7-20      5200 


California  Fish  and  Game 

"CONSERVATION   OF   WILD   LIFE   THROUGH   EDUCATION" 

Volume  6  SACRAMENTO,  OCTOBER,  1920  Number  4 


CONTENTS. 

Page 
DISTRIBUTION  OF  THE  GOLDEN  TROUT  IN  CALIFORNIA 

>S'.  L.  N.  Ellis  and  H.  C.  Brijant  141 

THE  GROWTH  OF  THE  SWELL  SHARK  WITHIN  THE  EGG  CASE__ 

Helen  M.  Edwards  153 

NOTES  ON  DRY-FLY  FISHING— No.  5 R.  L.  M.,  California  157 

EDITORIALS 165 

FACTS  OF  CURRENT  INTEREST 170 

HATCHERY  NOTES 1 171 

COMMERCIAL  FISHERY  NOTES 172 

NOTES   FROM  THE   STATE  FISHERIES   LABORATORY 177 

LIFE  HISTORY   NOTES 182 

reports- 
Expenditures    183 

Fishery  Products,  April,  May,  June,  1920 184 

Violations  of  Fish  and  Game  Laws 18G 

Seizures   186 


DISTRIBUTION  OF  THE  GOLDEN  TROUT  IN  CALIFORNIA. 

By  S.  L.  N.  Ellis  aud  H.  C.  Bryant. 

Fishermen  and  nature  lovers  who  frequent  the  wild,  rugged  climes 
of  the  southern  Sierra  are  now,  most  of  them,  familiar  with  the  golden 
trout,  Salmo  rooscvelti.  This  fish  is  known  to  excel  an}^  other  species 
of  trout  in  heauty,  not  only  because  of  its  well-proportioned  form, 
but.  more  particularly  because  of  its  exceptionally  brilliant  and  rich 
coloration. 

There  are  three  recognized  species  of  golden  trout :  the  Little  Kern 
golden  trout,  Salmo  ivhifei;  South  Fork  of  the  Kern  golden  trout, 
Salmo  agiia-honita,  and  Roosevelt  trout,  of  Volcano  Creek,  Salmo 
roosevelti.  The  Kern  trout,  Salmo  gilberti,  is  the  parent  species  from 
which  the  three,  afore  named,  were  probablj^  derived ;  and,  so  far  as  is 


142 


CALIFORNIA  FISH  AND  GAME. 


knoAvn,  all  four  species  are  native  to  the  head  waters  of  the  Kern 
River; 

Tlie  distinctive  eharaeteristics  (tf  llicse  diversified  types  is  more 
readily  appreciated  if  the  geofyra.jihical  isolation  of  their  habitat  is 
understood.  It  has  been  stated  tliat  the  Kern  trout,  Salmo  gilhcrti, 
is  the  parent  species  of  the  golden  trout,  antl  as  may  be  inferred  from 
the  name,  is  native  to  the  Kern  River.     This  i-iver  is  of  considerable 


Fig.  37.  Agua-boiiita  Falls  on  Vokaiio  Creek,  tlie  stream  wiiiih 
is  the  original  home  of  the  golden  trout.  Photograph  by  W.  Y. 
Kellogg. 

Avidth  and  flows  through  a  most  inspiring,  deep,  rugged,  high  Sierran 
canyon,  and  in  ages  past,  when  the  glacial  period  wrought  its  stupen- 
dous changes,  the  Kern  River  trout,  native  then  to  not  only  the  Kern 
River  but  to  its  tribntory  streams — VMcano  Creek,  South  Fork  of  the 
Kern  and  the  Little  Kern  and  Soda  Creek — became  isolated  in  these 
different  streams  by  the  formation  of  unsurmountable  barriers,  and 
each  group  being  acted  upon  Iw  the  inlluences  of  its  own  peculiar 
environment,  with  no  opportunity  for  interbreeding  of  groups,  resulted, 


CALIFORNIA  FISH  AND  GAME.  143 

quite  naturally,  in  each  one  develoi)ing  in  its  own  distinctive,  character- 
istic way.*  And  the  golden  trout,  Halmo  roosevelU,  of  Volcano  Creek, 
the  most  radiantly  beautiful  of  them  all,  became  the  most  individual. 

But  the  changes  which  Volcano  Creek  underwent  were  far  more 
enduring  and  much  more  complicated  than  the  changes  which  occurred 
in  the  other  streams,  for  aside  from  the  impassable  falls,  formed  by 
the  wearing  down  of  the  stream  beds.  Volcano  Creek,  formerly  called 
Whitney  Creek,  underwent  volcanic  changes  of  a  more  or  less  unique 
character,  which  accentuated  the  deepening  characteristics  of  the 
stream,  and  in  all  probability  temporarily  cut  it  off  entirely  from  the 
Kern  River. 

Volcano  Creek  rises  south  of  Cirque  Peak.  Several  small,  clear, 
mountain  streams,  having  their  sources  at  an  elevation  of  from 
10,000  to  13,000  feet,  thread  their  way  through  picturesque,  grassy 
meadows  to  the  point  of  confluence.  For  a  distance  of  about  eight 
miles  the  creek  flows  in  somewhat  of  a  southerly  direction  until  it 
enters  Toowa  Valley,  then  it  turns  west  in  a  widening  course  and 
joins  the  Kern  River  about  opposite  Soda  Spring.  The  South  Fork 
of  the  Kern  River  has  its  source  near  that  of  Volcano  Creek  and  it 
enters  Toowa  Valley  at  about  the  same  place,  and  in  the  days  when 
this  section  of  the  southern  high  Sierra  was  first  traversed  by  white 
men,  the  idea  was  conceived  of  joining  Volcano  Creek  and  the  South 
Fork  of  the  Kern  by  a  tunnel.  This  was  quite  possible,  for  a  small 
ridge  less  than  a  hundred  vards  wide,  in  parts,  and  scarcely  fifty  feet 
high  divided  the  streams.  |  No  doubt  at  one  time  the  South  Fork  of 
the  Kern  was  a  natural  tributary  of  Volcano  Creek|  The  tunnel 
which  w^as  made  caved  in,  but  in  the  course  of  experimentation  some 
of  the  golden  trout  escaped  into  the  South  Fork.  The  cut  filled  up  and 
the  two  streams  again  became  entirely  distinct.  Above  this  tunnel, 
which  is  at  an  elevation  of  8600  feet,  Volcano  Creek  flows  through 
meadowy  country,  the  creek  bottom  being  granite  sand  and  gravel; 
but  below  the  tunnel  for  a  distance  of  eight  miles  or  so,  to  the  point 
where  the  creek  enters  the  Kern  River,  and  at  a  drop  in  elevation 
of  2300  feet,  the  stream  bed  is  of  volcanic  character  and  the  stream 
itself  very  turbulent.  It  is  not,  however,  due  to  the  rapids,  but  to 
the  three  falls — Agua-Bonita,  with  a  small  fall  known  as  Surby 
Fall  between  it  and  Stewart  Fall  (second),  and  the  third.  Shields — 
that  the  trout  are  barred  from  traveling  from  one  body  of  water  to 
the  other;  and  in  fact,  such  natural  barriers  as  these  are  the  cause 
of  fish  isolation  in  the  several  streams,  and  of  even  entire  lack  of 
fish  in  some,  where  volcanic  action  and  other  forces  were  at  play — the 
streams  and  lakes  are  barren,  many  of  them  despite  a  good  supply  of 
food. 

The  value  of  distributing  the  golden  trout  can  hardly  be  overesti- 
mated. First,  it  has  saved  these  beautiful  fish  from  the  complete 
extermination  with  which  they  were  threatened.  Secondly,  the  trout 
are  being  planted  in  heretofore  barren  streams  and  lakes,  and  therefore 
they  will  furnish  added  fishing  grounds  for  the  angler.  Too,  the  fish, 
without  the  possibility  for  interbreeding,  will  remain  the  pure  type. 
And  third,  they  are  a  prolific  fish,  and,  to  the  delight  of  all  sportsmen, 
are  extremely  gamey.  - — ^ 

*"The  Golden  Trout  of  the  Southern  High  Sierras,"  by  Barton  Warren  Evermann,  1906.  U.  S. 
Bureau  of  Fisheries  Bull.  2."),  jip.  3-51,  IG  pis.,  1  map. 


144  CALIFORNIA  FISH  AND  GAME. 

Tlie  oarlicst  record  we  have,  of  the  traiisi)lantiii^-  of  the  gokleii  trout 
to  streams  other  tlian  those  of  their  natural  hil)itat.  was  in  the  year 
187().  The  two  Stevens  brothers,  w  lio  had  l)uilt  a  small  sawmill  on 
Cottonwood  Ci'eek,  wei'e  anxious  that  the  sti'eani  be  well  stoek(Ml  with 
tisli  for  their  own  use.  'Phcy  went  over  to  ^lulky  ('riH?ic,  in  ]\Inlky 
^Meadows,  and  proi  uicd  what  iti  all  probability  were  the  Salnio  agua- 
honiia,  or  South  Fork  iioldcii  Iroul,  and  plaiilcd  tliciii  in  Cottonwood 
(U-eelv. 

In  the  suuniu'i'  of  18((J,  ^Mr.  S.  1j.  X.  Ellis  says:  ''1  was  ut  ^iineral 
King  and  ]\Ir.  Arthur  Crowley,  former  assessor  of  Tulare  County, 
showed  me  a  single  large  trout  in  the  ereek  at  ]\Iineral  King.  He 
told  me  that  'unele'  Wiley  AVatson  had  brought  some  trout  from  the 
Little  Kern  via  Farewell  (iap  and  had  planti'd  them  in  this  stream." 
The  first  plant  made  by  AVatson  reproduced  rapidly  and  furnished 
the  supply  for  the  fishermen  at  Mineral  King  until  1894,  when  the 
later  ]ilants  Avere  made.  ]\Ir.  Ellis  eaught  fish  at  IMineral  King  in 
1887,  while  he  wa,s  out  on  a  hunting  and  iishing  trip  in  that  region. 
This  work  was  very  important  for  it  was  the  move  which  undoubtedly 
interested  others  in  fisli  planting,  and  which  causcMl  others,  later  on, 
to  try  and  accomplish  similar  plants. 

After  a  lapse  of  some  nine  yeai's,  G.  AV.  Cahoon  contributed  his 
share  to  the  transplanting  of  the  golden  trout.  Mr.  Cahoon  was  a 
cattle  rancher  who  dui'ing  the  summer  carried  butter  by  pack  from 
the  head  of  the  South  Fork  of  the  Kaweah  over  the  pass  to  Inyo 
Couut.>'.  On  his  way  ])ack  he  caught  the  golden  trout,  Sahno  wliitei, 
in  Soda  Creek  at  Quinn's  Horse  Camp  and  planted  them  in  the  South 
Fork  of  the  Kaweah,  at  Evelyn  Lake,  where  there  were  no  fish. 

In  1887,  two  years  after  Cahoon  had  made  his  plant  of  Salmo  white'i, 
James  Mclntyre,  a  sheepman,  pi'ocured  scmie  of  the  same  species  of 
trout  at  Rifle  Creek  and  planted  them  in  Coyote  Creek,  a  tributary  of 
the  Kern. 

Again  there  was  a  pei-iod  of  trout  planting  inactivity,  but  in  1892 
Cottonwood  Lakes  were  planted  by  E.  11.  Edwards  and  two  friends. 
Edwards,  who  was  a  storekeeper  at  Lone  Pine,  desired  to  improve  the 
fishing  conditions  in  his  vicinity,  so  with  James  jMoffitt  and  B.  H. 
I)utch(>r  he  obtained  a  catch  of  ^ahno  a(j)in-bo)n'ta,  the  same  variety 
which  had  been  planted  by  the  Stevens  brothers  in  Cottonwood  C-reek 
in  1876,  and  planted  them  in  Cottonwood  Lakes.  This  plant  was 
apparently  very  successful,  for  in  1906  Cottonwood  Lakes  were  reported 
by  the  storekeeper  of  Lone  Pine  as  being  unusually  well  stocked  with 
golden  trout. 

The  year  1892  is  especially  memorable  in  the  history  of  the  planting 
of  tke  golden  trout  in  that  it  was  during  this  season  that  the  first 
hatchery  propagation  of  the  species  Avas  undertaken.  Too,  it  was 
during  this  year  that  they  were  first  exhibited  to  the  public.  INFembers 
of  the  A^isalia  Sportsmen's  Club  had  long  been  desirous  that  the 
jM'opagation  of  this  splendid  game  fish  be  undertaken,  and  it  was 
thi'ough  the  interests  and  efforts  of  the  club  that  S.  L.  N.  Ellis, 
e([uipped  with  four  coal  oil  cans  fitted  with  baking  powder  can  lids, 
made  a  trip  to  Volcano  Creek  and  procured  about  a  hundred  of  the  fish. 
These  he  carried  to  Lower  Funston  IMeadows.  At  Funston  IMc^ulows 
he  met  Lieutenant  Deane  with  a  detachment  of  soldiers  patrolling  the 


CALIFORNIA  FISH  AND  GAME.  145 

Sequoia  National  Park.  Lieutenant  Deane  detailed  two  of  his  men, 
Sergeant  Moffitt  and  Private  Seholberg,  to  take  the  fish  to  Mineral 
King.  There  the  party  was  met  by  J.  Sub  Johnson  and  M.  L.  Weaver, 
who  were  members  of  the  club  and  residents  of  Visalia.  These  two 
men  took  the  fish  in  a  spring  wagon  to  Visalia,  and  from  there  they 
were  shipped  by  train  to  San  Francisco  and  were  delivered  to  the 
Fish  and  Game  Commission.  The  plan  was  to  send  the  fish  to  the 
hatchery  at  Sisson.  However,  before  the  trout  were  sent  on  the  last 
lap  of  their  journey,  they  were  exhibited  not  only  at  the  Midwinter 
Fair  but  at  Goleher  Brothers  store  in  San  Francisco.  Thirty-six  fine 
specimens  were  finally  shipped  to  the  Sisson  hatchery,  twenty-one 
reaching  their  destination  in  good  condition,  but  the  experiment  was 
not  considered  satisfactory^ 

In  1896,  the  first  plant  of  the  true  golden  trout,  Salmo  roosevelti, 
VyRS  made.  All  previous  plantings  had  been  either  of  the  Salmo  agua- 
honita  or  Salmo  ivhitei  variety.  During  the  summer  of  this  year 
Mr.  S.  L.  N.  Ellis,  accompanied  by  his  son,  L.  L.  Ellis,  and  a  friend, 
P.  J.  Hill,  planted  the  North  P^ork  of  the  Kaweah — l|:nown  as  Dorst 
Creek— with  fish  taken  from  Volcano  Creek,  the  original  home  of 
Salmo  roosevelti.  In  the  same  season,  Mr.  Ellis  in  attempting  to 
carry  some  of  tlie  fish  from  Volcano  Creek  to  the  North  Fork  of 
Kawcali,  found  that  the  trout  were  not  standing  the  trip  well  and  so 
decided  to  plant  some  of  them  in  the  Kaweah  near  Mineral  King,  and 
al)out  twenty-five  others,  which  were  sick,  in  Silliman  Creek  and 
Willow  Meadow.  Nothing  was  ever  heard  of  the  latter  plants.  When 
in  Mineral  King,  Mr.  Ellis  met  the  artist,  Petrie,  and  showed  him  the 
golden  trout,  which  were  the  first  that  the  painter  had  seen.  He  was 
so  charmed  by  their  rare  beauty  that  he  soon  afterwards  used  the 
fish  as  the  subject  for  a  painting. 

The  following  year  an  unsuccessful  plant  of  the  golden  trout  was 
made  by  Mr.  J.  M.  Nelson,  in  Nelson  Creek,  a  tributory  of  the  Tule 
River.  Also  some  cattle  men  carried  fish  from  Whitney  Meadows  and 
planted  them  in  Rock  Creek.  Another  plant  of  trout  was  made  in 
Rock  Creek  in  August,  1900,  by  Mr.  M.  W.  Buffington,  county  surveyor 
of  Kern  County.  He  wrote  Major  George  W.  Stewart  of  Visalia  that 
he  and  a  party  of  other  men  carried  the  trout  in  small  lard  cans — about 
seven  in  each  can — to  Rock  Creek  and  turned  some  of  them  loose ;  the 
rest  they  carried  to  the  trail  crossing  and  placed  them  there. 

From  1897  to  1908  no  authentic  information  regarding  the  planting 
of  golden  trout  seems  to  be  available,  and  that  regarding  the  seasons 
of  1897  and  1900  seems  to  be  rather  incomplete.  However,  it  was  at 
this  time  that  the  government  became  actively  interested  in  the  protec- 
tion of  the  golden  trout.  In  1903,  according  to  Dr.  Barton  W.  Ever- 
mann,  Stewart  Edward  White,  impressed  with  the  possibility  of  the 
extermination  of  these  trout,  wrote  to  George  M.  Bowers  of  the  Com- 
mission of  Fisheries  and  to  the  President  of  the  United  States  calling 
their  attention  to  the  matter,  and  on  July  13,  1904,  Barton  Warren 
Evermann,  Assistant  in  charge  of  the  Division  of  Scientific  Inquiry, 
Bureau  of  Fisheries,  with  a  party  outfitted  at  Redstone  Park,  Tulare 
County,  left  for  the  Whitney  countiy  to  investigate  the  trout  of  the 
Kern  River  region.  As  a  result  of  the  investigation,  the  true  golden 
trout  of  Volcano   Creek  was  recognized  as  a  new  species,   and  was 


146  CALIFORNIA  FISH   AND  GAME. 

named  after  tlie  naturalist,  Theodore  Roosevelt,  w  Jio  at  that  time  was 
president  of  the  l-nited  States. 

The  United  States  J^ureau  of  Fisheries  made  an  extended  study  of 
the  trout,  and  in  1905  an  attempt  was  made  to  establish  a  temporary 
hatchery  station  on  Volcano  Cr^ek  in  order  that  the  eggs  of  the  golden 
trout  might  1)C  obtained.  But  the  spawning  season  was  over  before 
operations  could  be  stalled.  Two  hundred  and  sixty-four  trout  were 
taken  during  the  season  to  the  Lewis  and  Clark  Exposition  at  Poi-tland, 
but  as  the  result  of  an  accident  the  entire  lot  was  lost.  Aside  from  the 
year-round,  closed  seasons  for  the  golden  trout  adopted  at  a  later  date, 
the  general  prugi-am  suggested  was  as  follows:  (1)  The  catch  of 
goklen  trout  should  be  limited  to  less  than  the  numl)er  allowed  for 
other  trout.  (2)  Fish  culture  shoidd  be  i)r()moted,  and  (3)  the 
limits  of  the  Whitney  ]\lilitary  Reservation  should  be  extended  to 
inelude  the  whole  of  Volcano  Creek. 

That  the  fish  is  a  hardy  fish  seems  to  have  been  rather  well  demon- 
strated in  1906.     In  March  of  that  year  the  Fi.sh  and  Game  Commis- 
sion undei'took   to   collect  some   specimens  of  the   fish   for   exhibition 
purposes  at  the  "Forest,  Fish  and  Game  Exhibit,"  held  in  San  Fran- 
cisco..   About  fifty  specimens  of  the  trout,  Sahno  agua-honita  were 
taken  from  Cottonwood  Creek,  a  stream  the  temperature  of  which  is 
about  38°,   and   were   transferred  to  water  which  was   about  60°   in 
temperature.     They  lived  in  their  new  environment  for  some  two  weeks 
or  more.     But  at  the  end  of  the  exhibition  period,  Avhen  the  fish  were 
sent  to  the  Sisson  Hatchery,  about  three-fourths  of  them  died,  evidently 
due  to  the  added  travel  and  the  more  or  less  depleted  condition  of 
the  fish.     Another  instance  of  their  adaptability   and   hardiness  was 
reported  by  A.  D.  Ferguson.     In  1913,  he  investigated  a  plant  made 
l)y  Deputy  BuUard,  in  1911.     BuUard  had  stocked  a  small  creek  at 
Traweeks,   in   Fresno   County,   with .  golden   trout.     The   stream   is   at 
an  elevation  of  3500  feet   and  the   temperature   during  the   summer 
months  reaches  about  75°.     Mr.  Ferguson  says,  "I  found  golden  trout 
of  various  sizes  in  considerable  numl)ers  in  this  creek.     A  specimen 
some  twelve  inches  in  length,  I  judged  to  be  one  of  the  original  plant." 
In   1908   the   Sieri-a   Clul)   did   some   splendid   work.     The   club   in 
making  their  plants  used  two  ten-gallon  Buhl  cans  with  airho](\s  in  the 
cover's.     On  July   7.   they   caught  110  trout  with   hook  and  line,  the 
trout  I'anging  in  length  fi'om  four  to  six  inehes.     They  were  secured 
at  the  luHid  of  Ijong  Meadow  on  Volcano  Creek  and  were  packed  for 
about  th !•('('  hours  to  a  lake  in  lu)cl<y  l>iisiii.     Oidy  one  (isli  was  found 
to  be  dead  and  that  was  due  to  the  way  in  which  it  had  been  hooked. 
On  July  15,  the  licad  Sierra  (Uub  packer,  ]\lr.  J.  Robinson,  and  his 
family  caught  54  ti'out  in  Rock  Creek  averaging  fi'om  10  to  12  inches 
in  length.     '^I'hey   luid   undoubtedlN    Ixmmi   ])laii1ed   in  llie  creek  several 
years  before.     These  were  taken   lo  a  lake  at  the  head  of  one  of  the 
branches  of  Rock  Creek.     The  third  plant,  made  under  the  sui)ervision 
of  Mr.  Wm.  p].  (>)lby,  Deputy  Fish  Commissioner,  was  of  50  trout  from 
the  above  named  creek.     They  were  t)la.nted  in  Wliitney  Creek. 

According  lo  Mr.  A.  11.  ll()gu(\  forest  sujiervisor  of  the  Inj'o  National 
Forest,  600  golden  trout  from  Little  Whitney  or  Long  Meadows  were 
taken  to  Gardner  Creek  during  the  same  season. 


CALIFORNIA  FISH  AND  GAME,  147 

It  was  in  the  year  1909  that  the  Fish  and  Game  Commission  first 
took  charge  of  the  planting  of  the  golden  trout.  Previous  to  this 
time  the  work  had  been  done  l)y  sportsmen  or  clubs  at  their  own 
expense.  After  the  Commission  took  hold  of  the  work,  improved  pack 
cans  were  provided  and  the  loss  of  the  fish  in  transportation  was  much 
reduced.  The  work  of  distributing  the  golden  trout  on  the  east  slope 
of  the  Divide  was  carried  on  by  Deputy  E.  li.  Ober,  who  in  the  face  of 
many  difficulties  successfully  transferred  1500  trout,  ranging  in  size 
from  two  to  seven  inches,  to  Independence,  over  the  Hockett  trail. 
There  the  outfit  was  divided,  half  went  over  to  Kearsarge  Pass  via  Lake 
(!]iarlotte  to  Gardner  Creek  and  Gardner  Lakes,  and  the  other  half  went 
to  Grouse  Meadows  on  the  head  waters  of  the  Middle  Fork  of  tlie  Kings 
River,  via  Bishop  and  South  Lake  on  Bishop  Creek.  The  fish  for  this 
plant  were  obtained  by  diverting  the  creek  at  Long  Meadows  from  its 
course. 

District  Deputy  A.  D.  Ferguson  of  Fresno,  assisted  by  Deputy 
S.  L.  N.  Ellis  in  the  field,  directed  the  work  in  the  Kern  River,  Kings 
and  Kaweah  basins,  on  the  western  slope.  Mr.  Ellis  says  in  regard 
to  his  experience : 

"On  my  return  trip  from  Whitne}^  Meadows,  I  brought  back  three 
mule  loads  of  golden  trout  for  planting  in  Roaring  River  and  nearby 
streams  with  scarcely  any  loss.  This  was  partly  due  to  improved  pack 
cans,  but  more  especially  to  the  fact  that  I  had  learned  that  the  fish  can 
not  stand  too  long  a  trip.  Prior  to  tliis  time  I  had  made  eleven  or 
twelve  hours  a  day  and  had  lost  as  many  as  75  per  cent  of  my  fish.  On 
this  trip  I  learned  from  observation  that  by  making  short  trips — say 
of  five  or  six  hours  a  day — a  much  greater  percentage  of  the  fish  could 
be  saved.  Up  to  seven  hours  the  fish  can  keep  away  from  the  sides  of 
the  cans,  even  though  the  trail  may  be  very  rough,  but  after  this  time 
they  become  exhausted  and  are  bruised  by  striking  against  the  sides 
of  the  containers.  During  the  stops  made,  the  cans  were  set  in  a 
creek  and  fresh  water  allowed  to  flow  over  them.  Prior  to  this  time 
my  idea  had  been  to  hurry  the  fish  to  their  destination  as  quickly  as 
possible." 

The  following  year  Mr.  Ellis'  party  took  183  adult  Sahno  roosevelU 
caught  with  a  seine  at  Whitney  Meadows  and  planted  them  in  the 
watershed  drained  by  the  tributaries  flowing  in  to  Roaring  River. 
They  lost  only  six  of  the  trout  although  they  travelled  for  six  days 
over  100  miles  of  extremely  rough  country.  Mr.  Ober  and  his  assist- 
ants, Sam  McMurray  and  George  Hall,  in  the  same  year  covered  about 
115  miles  and  stocked  Center  Basin  and  Bench  Lake  as  well  as  the 
head  waters  of  the  South  Fork  of  the  Kings.  This  made  the  total  plant 
for  July  and  August,  1910,  more  tlian  1800  large  golden  trout  dis- 
tributed among  twenty-three  lakes  and  streams  in  which  no  fish  had 
previoiLsly  existed,  but  which  were  rich  in  fish  food.  In  a  recent  letter 
Mr.  Ober  says,  "I  felt  that  the  waters  I  had  selected  would  be  ideal 
for  fish,  and  my  judgment  seems  to  have  been  good,  for  in  1918  I 
took  two  golden  trout  out  of  Bench  Lake  that  weighed  three  pounds 
each. '.' 

The  following  summer  Mr.  Ellis  and  Mr.  Ferguson,  with  a  group  of 
friends  and  assistants,  secured  over  1300  Salmo  roosevelU,  by  changing 
the  course  of  the  stream  at  Little  Whitney  Meadow^s  and  by  hook  and 


148  CALIFORNIA  FISH  AND  GAME. 

line.  Ferjruson  at  this  time  procured  twelve  or  thirteen  Salmo  agua- 
honita  g:olden  tront  from  Cottonwood  Lakes  and  Creek.  All  of  the 
trout  wei-e  delivered  to  tlie  Fisli  and  Game  Commission's  fish  car  at 
Lone  Pine  and  were  shipped  to  the  Sisson  Hatchery.  A  few  of  the 
Salmo  afjiia-honiia  were  exhibited  in  Sacramento.  Deputy  Bullard, 
who  had  helped  with  the  pack.  took,  in  the  course  of  the  return  trip, 
a  hundred  trout  from  Volcano  Creek,  wliich  he  planted  in  the  North 
Fork  of  the  Kaweah,  Indian  Basin  and  Traweek  Creek. 

Those  who  visited  this  ^rreat  wonderland  of  the  southern  Sierra 
Nevada  l)eu:an  to  find  not  only  the  ordinarily  beautiful  trout,  but  in 
previously  uninha])itcd  streams  they  saw  darting  forms  of  gold  and 
silver,  and  the  fishermen  rejoiced.  However,  in  order  that  the  pleasure 
of  golden  trout  fishing  might  lie  better  assured  to  the  ever-increasing 
numbers  of  fishermen,  the  law  which  is  incorporated  in  the  penal  code 
is  as  follows : 

"633.  Every  person  who,  at  any  time  between  the  first  day  of 
Octolier  and  the  thirtieth  day  of  June  of  the  succeeding  year,  takes, 
catches,  kills,  destroys,  or  has  in  his  possession,  any  variety  of  golden 
trout ;  or  who,  at  any  time,  takes,  catches,  kills,  or  destroys,  any  variety 
of  golden  trout  other  than  with  hook  or  line;  or  who,  at  any  time, 
takes,  catches,  kills,  destroys,  or  has  in  his  possession,  during  one  calen- 
dar day,  more  than  twenty  golden  trout,  or  ha.s  in  his  possession  any 
variety  of  golden  trout  of  less  than  five  inches  in  length,  is  guilty  of  a 
misdemeanor.  Every  person  found  guilty  of  any  violation  of  any  of 
the  provisions  of  this  section  mnst  be  fined  in  a  sum  not  less  than  twenty 
dollars  or  be  imprisoned  in  the  county  jail,  in  the  county  in  Avhich 
the  conviction  shall  ])e  had,  not  less  than  ten  days,  or  be  punished  by 
both  such  fine  and  imprisonment,  and  all  fines  collected  for  any  viola- 
tion of  any  of  the  provisions  of  this  section  must  be  paid  into  the 
state  treasury  to  the  credit  of  the  fish  commission  fund.  Nothing  in 
this  section  shall  prohibit  the  Fish  Commission  of  this  state  from  taking 
at  all  times  such  golch'ii  trout  as  they  deem  necessary  for  the  purpose 
of  propagation  or  for  scientific  purposes." 

In  1912  the  packhorse  distribution  work  was  confined  to  IMadera  and 
Tuolumne  counties,  so  that  it  was  not  until  1913  that  Deputies  EULs 
and  Smalley,  with  a  splendidly  equipped  pack  train,  proceeded  with 
the  program  for  the  transplanting  of  the  golden  trout.  On  Septem- 
ber 1.  Ellis  and  Smalley  left  Whitney  Meadows  with  821  Salmo 
rooscvelti  to  plant  Roai'ing  River  and  tributaries.  It  had  been  an 
unusually  rainy  season  in  the  mountains,  and  all  during  their  previous 
golden  trout  plants  they  had  been  handicapped  by  finding  trails 
obstructed  and  streams  swollen.  The  fish,  too,  were  difficult  to  catch. 
But  undaunted  they  left  AVhitney  Meadows  with  the  821  trout, 
descended  the  Kern  River  Canyon,  crossed  the  Kern-Kaweah  Divide 
to  Mineral  King,  ascended  Timber  Gap.  descended  again  to  the  Kaweah 
Canyon,  and  on  over  the  Kings-Kaweah  Divide  via  Elizabeth  Pass  to 
Roaring  River.  Some  of  the  trout  had  been  in  the  cans  fourteen 
days,  yet  despite  the  hard  travel  and  circuitous  route  only  five  trout 
were  lost.  At  the  close  of  the  season  87  plants  had  been  made  of 
the  species  and  with  no  exception  the  species  used  by  the  Commission  in 
the  golden  trout  i)lants  had  been  the  Salmo  roosevelH. 


CALIFORNIA  FISH   AND  GAME. 


149 


About  5000  adult  golden  trout,  Salmo  roosevelti,  were  taken  with 
hook  and  line  in  1914,  and  were  transplanted  to  barren  waters.  Thus 
the  range  of  the  trout  was  extended  for  more  than  150  miles  along  the 
summit  of  the  Sierra  from  Volcano  Creek. 

One  thousand  nine  hundred  seventeen  marked  a  fiew  step  in  the 
distribution    of   the   golden    trout.     In    that   year   it   was   decided   to 

undertake  the  propagation  of  the 
golden  trout.  Cottonwood  Lake, 
though  situated  in  an  inaccessible 
part  of  Inyo  County,  was  decided 
upon  for  the  spawning  station,  and 
despite  the  difficulties  which  had 
to  be  surmounted  500,000  eggs  were 
taken  and  were  successfully  trans- 
ported hy  pack  animal  to  the  new 
Mount  Whitney  Hatcheiy.  At  the 
hatchery  they  were  "eyed"  and 
afterwards  were  distributed  in  the 
waters  of  that  section.  It  is  from 
the  ]\Iount  Whitney  Hatchery  that 
the  more  recent  plants  have  been 
made,  .and  ^Mr.  Ober  reports  that 
during  September  and  October  of 
1919,  he  made  plants  of  the  trout  in 
two  beautiful  lakes  at  the  head  of 
Woods  Creek,  Little  Pine  Creek  and 
South  Fork  Lake  on  Big  Pine  Creek. 
Several  plants  have  also  been  made 
in  Yosemite  National  Park. 
Thus  it  is  that  through  long  endeavor  and  splendid  cooperation  this 
marveloush'  beautiful  golden  trout,  a  fish  that  appeals  to  every 
sportsman,  has  been  protected,  and  distributed  in  one  of  the  most 
inspiring  sections  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  Mountains. 


Fig.  3S.  Spawning-  golden  trout  at 
Cottonwood  Lakes.  Photographed  by 
N.    M.    Scofleld. 


150 


CALIFORNIA  FISH   AND  GAME. 


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CALIFORNIA  FISH   AND  GAME. 


153 


THE  GROWTH  OF  THE  SWELL  SHARK  WITHIN 

THE  EGG  CASE.* 

By  tlEa^N  M.  Edwards. 

On  March  17,  1920,  a  young  shark  in  the  egg  ease  was  received  from 
Mr.  Kiati  Nasu,  secretary  of  the  Southern  California  Fishermen's 
Association,  through  the  kindness  of  Mr.  E.  M.  Nielsen,  of  the  Fish 
and    Game    Commission   at   San   Pedro,    and   of  Mr.    Lingle,   of  the 

Bureau  of  Fisheries,  who 
brought  it  to  Hopkins  Marine 
Station,  Pacific  Grove.  The 
development  of  the  fish  has 
been  watched  with  much  in- 
terest, because  the  species  was 
unknown  and  the  process  of 
development  had  not  been 
seen  in  any  of  our  western 
sharks. 

Upon  receipt  of  the  shark  it 
was  placed  in  a  small  salt 
water  aquarium  with  running 
water,  where  it  was  kept 
during  its  development.  At 
various  times  the  aquarium 
was  out  of  order,  which  made 
it  necessary  at  such  times  to 
change  the  water  on  the  fish 
two  or  three  times  a  day  or  to 
move  it  into  another  aqua- 
rium. It  is  a  question  whether 
or  not  the  process  of  develop- 
ment was  retarded  or.  hin- 
dered in  any  way  by  these 
disturbances.  We  are  under 
obligation  to  Stanford  Uni- 
versity and  to  Dr.  W.  K. 
Fisher,  the  director  of  Hop- 
kins Marine  Station,  for  the 
use  of  the  aquarium. 

The  case,  as  shown  in  the 
accompanying  drawing,  was 
]16  mm.  long  and  49  mm. 
wide.  One  end,  comprising 
about  one  third  'of  the  length 
of  the  case,  wa:s  considerably 
smaller,  and  of  a  different 
shape  from  the  larger  end. 
The  acute  angles  of  the  latter 
met  and  continued  in  long 
slender  tendrils,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  attaching  to  seaweed, 
while  similar  tendrils  were 
also  given  off  from  the  angles 


Fig.   39.     Egg    case    of    tSwell    Shark    Catulus 
liter.     Natural  size. 


"  *California  State  Fisheries  Laboratory,   Contribution  No.   20. 


154 


CALIFORNIA  FISH   AND  GAME. 


at  the  smaller  end.  Tlic  i)()siti(»n  and  size  of  tlie  lisli  ami  yolk, 
as  seen  through  the  (»i)a(jui\  darl<  hi-owii,  Irathciy  ease,  are  indieated 
in  the  drawing  by  broken  lines.  The  fish  was  proba])ly  very  young, 
for  its  length  at  the  time  of  reeeiving  was  43  nun.,  whieh  exeeeded 
the  yolk  by  only  3  mm.  The  egg  ease  had  growing  on  it  at  eaeh 
end  colonies  of  bryozoans,  whieh  died  and  had  soaked  ofl'  by  the  end  of 
four  months. 

At  first  there  were  no  apertures  in  the  ease  which  coidd  be  detected, 
altliongli  eaeh  end  contained  two  slight  gi'ooves,  shown  in  the  ligure, 
situated  on  opposite  sides  of  the  case.  'J'o  one  facini:'  i  he  egg  case, 
with  the  snudier  end  ii|),  one  groove  was  visil)le  at  each  end  on  the 
l(d'1  liand  side.  The  othcn-  two  grooves  could  not  be  seen  without, 
turning  the  case  over,  which  would  bring  them  on  the  left  haiul  side. 
Those  at  the  larger  end  were  about  20  mm.  long,  and  those  at  th(! 
smaller  about  11  mm.  On  April  3  a  small  air  bubble  was  visible  inside 
the  case,  which  proved  tlie  presence  of  an  ai)erture.  Upon  examin- 
ing the  case  and  squeezing  it  gently  it  was  found  that  water  squirted 
(jut  through  a  small  slit  at  the  larger  end,  which  was  one  of  the 
grooves  beginning  to  open.  By  April  15  the  other  groove  at  the 
larger  end  and  on  the  opposite  side  had  opened.  A  little  carmine 
was  placed  with  a  pipette  near  the  apertures,  but  no  marked  current 
was  visible.  By  May  20  both  of  the  grooves  at  the  smaller  end  had 
opened.  These  apertures,  when  completely  opened,  were  about  1  mm. 
wide. 

Attempts  were  made  to  measure  the  fish,  but  the  results  are  only 
approximate  on  account  of  the  opacity  of  the  egg  case,  and  of  its 
constant  activity,  especially  at  first.  The  measurements  were  not 
taken  at  regular  intervals,  but  the  following  table  will  give  some  idea 
of  the  rate  of  growth: 


Date — 1920 
March  17 
April  15 
April 
May 
May 
June 
.Juuo 
June 
Julv 
August  1!) 


29 
20 

25 

7 

17 

24 

r> 


Length    of    Fish 

43   mm. 

60    ram. 

67    mm. 

81    mm. 

87  mm. 
104  mm. 
115  mm. 
123  mm. 
130  mm. 
155    mill. 


Width    of    Il.^ail 


IG  mm. 
1!)  mm. 
22  mm. 

25  mm. 

26  mm. 

27  iniii. 


^Measurements  were  also  taken  of  thi 
is  shown  by  the  following  table: 

Length    of    YoHv 


Date — 1920 
March  17 
April 
April 
May 
May 
June 
June 
June 
Juno 
July 
July 
Julv 
Julv 


15 
2!) 

20 

25 

7 

17 

24 

28 

1 

6 

17 

28 


40 
37 
37 
35 
31 
27 
24 
20 
17 
14 
10 


mm. 
mm. 

iiini. 
iiini. 
mill, 
mm. 
mm. 
mm. 
mm. 
mm. 
mm. 
mm. 
mm. 


\'()lk.  the  dinntiiit  ion  of  wliii-li 


Sac  W'iiltli    «if    Volk    Sac 


20  mm. 

17  mm. 

1.">  mm. 

12  mm. 


Up  until  April  15,  the  yolk,  though  shorti'uing,  had  kept  the  same 
general  oval  shape.     At  this  time  it  became  narrower  and  somewhat 


CALIFORNIA  FISH  AND  GAME. 


155 


Cube  of 
fishes 
length 
Thousands 
3500 

SOOO 

2600 

i;000 

1500 

1000 


500 


k^  ^.^.^— _^_ 

i ""  "*  ■  r^ — 

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V  y 

V  / 
X          / 

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— ^  \ 


Cube  of 
yolk  sac 
length 

Thousanas 

70 


CO 


50 
40 
30 
20 
10 


17      27      6        16 
March     April 


26      6 

IJay 


16 


i6      5        15 
June 


;5     5       16 
July 


6     4     14  19 
August  , 


Fig.   40. 


••ii-- 


Rate  of  growth  of  body  and  diminution  of  yolk  of  Swell   Sliark. 

•  Bulk  of  fish  according  to  cube  of  length. 

Bulk  of  yolk  according  to  cube  of  length. 


irregular  in  outline,  but  resumed  the  more  oval  appearance  about 
May  25.  By  July  17  the  yolk  seemed  to  be  entirely  absorbed,  leaving 
only  a  small  round  sac  at  the  end  of  the  umbilical  cord,  which  was 
only  about  one-half  of  its  original 
length,  and  by  July  28  was  reduced  to 
less  than  an  eighth  of  an  inch  and  gave 
the  appearance  of  a  tiny  knob  on  the 
ventral  side  of  the  fish.  After  hatch- 
ing the  only  evidence  of  the  cord  was 
a  little  spot  about  the  size  of  a  pin  head. 

The  rate  of  growth  of  the  fish  and 
the  diminution  of  the  yolk  are  shown 
in  the  accompanying  chart.  It  will  be 
noted  that  after  the  external  yolk  had 
])een  absorbed,  about  July  17,  the  fish 
continued  steadily  to  grow,  due  prob- 
ably to  an  internal  supply  of  yolk. 
(See  diagram.)  Note  also  that  from 
April  15  to  26  there  was  no  change  in 
the  yolk  shown  in  the  curve,  probably 
due  to  the  fact  that  at  this  time  the  yolk 
was  changing  in  shape  somewhat  and 
becoming  narrower,  while  the  length 
remained  constant. 

By  May  20  the  gill  filaments,  which 
were  long  and  kept  in  constant  motion 
by  the  movements  of  the  fish,  had  eu- 
tii'ely  disappeared.  They  had  been 
l^resent  in  each  gill  slit  and  in  the  spir- 
acles. Subsequent  to  this  the  breathing 
motion  of  the  mouth  was  observed. 

The   color  of   the   fish   in   the   early 

stages  was  a  uniform  whitish.  On  May  atfac'in'int  ?f  "sl-c.uief  uScL^'cord! 
25  a  few  dark  spots  were  observed  on  «•  soiid  body  niied  with  yoik.  &. 
the  fins  and  by  June  7,  over  ten  weeks  Slucir  cord.'    ^^"'^^  ^^'^'-    ""■      '''"■ 


156  CALIFORNIA   PISH   AND  GAME. 

before  hatching,  nearly  the  whole  body  was  covered  w  illi  jilxml  eight  or 
nine  pairs  of  ))lack  ])ands.  At  the  time  of  hatdiini:-  this  distiiiet  band 
eit'eet  was  somewhat  destroyed  by  tlie  round  black  spot.s  scattered  on 
the  bands. 

The  fish  showed  extreme  activity  at  first,  wriggling  constantly  and 
rhythmically,  so  that  the  taking  of  measuremouts  wa.s  quite  difficult. 
The  most  persistent  motion  was  the  back  and  forth  movement  of  the 
tail,  but  occasionally  the  fish  would  curl  itself  into  a  tight  knot  and 
sometimes  exhibit  such  violent  activity,  wriggling,  squirming  and  fiop- 
jiing  about,  that  it  seemed  likely  to  wrench  itself  loose  from  the  yolk. 
Such  violent  activity  usually  lasted  only  a  few  seconds.  ^lost  of  the 
time  the  movements  of  the  tail  back  and  forth  were  quite  regular,  while 
at  other  times  they  were  very  irregular  and  .jerky.  These  were  counted 
at  various  times  and  nnder  various  conditions.  They  seemed  to  be 
fewer  and  more  regular  in  the  shade  than  in  suidight.  The  experi- 
ments were  as  follows :  when  the  fish  was  put  in  a  shallow  pan  and 
placed  in  the  shade,  the  tail  moved  very  regularly  back  and  forth  from 
60  to  70  times  per  minute ;  then  when  i)laced  in  the  sun  the  motion 
became  irregular  and  the  count  increased  to  as  many  as  120  per  minute ; 
the  fish  being  placed  in  the  shade  again  they  were  irregular  and  many 
at  first,  then  dropped  down  to  78  per  minute  and  became  very  regular ; 
the  pan  being  again  placed  in  the  sun,  the  movements  were  only  63 
and  very  regular  at  fii*st,  but  soon  increased  to  115  and  were  irregular; 
put  back  in  the  shade  they  decreased  to  94.  The  probable  purpose  of 
the  movements  of  the  tail  was  to  aerate  the  water  by  keeping  it 
in  circulation.  By  May  25  the  fish  did  not  show  such  constant  activity. 
There  would  be  long  intervals  of  very  little  movement,  if  an}^  but  at 
this  time  wiien  the  tail  was  in  motion  there  were  110  movements 
counted  per  minute. 

The  night  of  ]\Iay  25  the  fish  was  left  in  the  shallow  pan  on  the 
table  over  night,  on  account  of  the  failure  of  the  water  supply,  and 
the  next  morning  the  sun  had  been  shining  upon  it  for  some  time  until 
the  water  was  almost  hot.  The  fish  was  stretched  out  on  its  back  with 
its  moutJi  wide  open,  and  showed  no  signs  of  life  whatever.  The  water 
was  cooled  gradually,  and  within  an  hour  the  fish  was  as  active  as 
ever. 

As  the  shark  grew  larger  the  activity  decreased  decidedly.  By 
June  7  it  was  veiy  inactive.  Immediately  after  it  was  transferred  from 
the  acjuarium  into  a  glass  .iar,  there  were  counted  125  movements  per 
minute  of  the  tail,  and  then  all  motion  ceased  until  the  fish  was 
placed  in  the  sun,  when  the  activity  was  resumed.  The  light  of  tlie 
sun  seemed  always  to  increas(^  the  activity.  When  the  egg  case  was 
handled  or  poked  the  fish  would  curl  its  tail  around  the  yolk,  then 
remain  quiet.  By  June  17  the  tip  of  the  tail  wlicii  curled  around  the 
yolk  would  reach  the  tip  of  the  snout.  ])uring  tiie  last  two  months 
of  its  existence  in  the  egg  case,  the  fish  was  most  inactive  and  the  mouth 
movements  were  not  always  perceptible.  At  such  times  it  was  doubted 
if  the  fish  were  still  alive.  It  was  usually,  however,  with  the  exception 
of  the  last  two  weeks,  sensitive  to  a  jar  of  any  kind.  There  was 
evidently  more  activity  than  was  observed,  for  the  head  of  the  fish 
was  not  always  in  the  same  end  of  the  case. 


CALIFORNIA  FISH  AND  GAME. 


157 


The  evening  of  August  19,  five  montlis  after  having  been  received, 
the  egg  case  was  hanging  perpendicularly  in  the  water  with  the 
smaller  end  up,  and  the  head  of  th.e  fish  toward  this  end.  During  the 
night  tlie  shark  struggled  up  through  this  small  end,  splitting  it  entirely 
across  the  top,  freed  itself  from  the  ease,  and  was  found  the  next 


Fig.   42.      Swell  Shark,  Catulus  uter,  the  day  after  hatching.     Natural  size. 

morning  reposing  on  the  bottom  of  the  aquarium.  The  egg  case  was 
then,  examined  and  it  was  found  that  beyond  tliis  opening  through 
which  the  fish  had  slipped  the  case  was  unbroken.  One  of  the  slits 
at  this  end  had  aided  in  making  the  exit  a  little  larger.  The  shark 
was  very  inactive  and  remained  in  one  place  for  a  long  while,  only 
occasionally  moving  the  fins  or  tail  slightly.  During  the  day  it  moved 
about  somewhat  on  the  bottom  of  the  aquarium.  The  next  day  it  was 
taken  out  and  identified  as  Cat/id  us  uter,  Jordan  &  Gilbert. 

Figures  showing  the  q^^  case  and  the  fish  immediately  after  hatching 
accompany  this  article. 


NOTES  ON  DRY-FLY  FISHING.     No.  5. 

By  IJ.  L.  M.,  California. 

Scene:     Camp  fire  in  front  of  the  hotel. 

Time:     Evening  of  the  day  described  in  the  July  issue  of  California 


Fish  and  Grame. 


Angler. 

Tourist. 
Mrs.  Tourist. 


Dramatis  personce. 


Second  Tourist. 
Third  Tourist. 


Tourist:  Here  comes  Angler.  He  promised  to  come  around  after 
supper.  Angler,  let  me  introduce  you  to  my  wife  and  the  rest  of 
our  party. 

Mrs.  Tourist  -.  Those  trout  we  had  for  supper  were  delicious.  They 
Avere  so  very  much  better  than  those  that  we  caught  at  Pine  Lake.  I 
wonder  why? 

Angler:  The  fish  we  caught  were  stream  fish  ajid  were  in  the  pink 
of  condition,  for  they  had  been  feeding  on  insects,  which  is  the  best 
kind  of  food  for  a  trout.    .Furthermore,  they  were  in  their  natural 


158 


CALIFORNIA  FISH  AND  GAME. 


onvironment.  On  the  other  hand,  the  fisli  in  Pine  Lake  were  Steel- 
head  tront  that,  due  to  the  formation  of  the  country,  can  not  nin  to 
the  sea.  The  result  is  that  their  natural  period  of  spawning  is  delayed, 
and  I  expect  yon  saw  the  fisli  that  you  caught  were  not  so  plump  as 
the  stream  fish  were. 

Second  Tourist:  Tlioy  did  not  seem  to  put  up  much  of  a  fight  when 
liooked.  They  just  gave  one  jump  iind  tlicn  were  brought  in  witliout 
any  further  struggle. 

Third  Tourist:  Don't  the  fish  in  Pine  Lake  ever  get  into  good 
condition  1 

Angler:  In  al)Out  six  weeks  time  there  will  be  a  great  change  in 
them.  It  takes  time  for  them  to  recover  from  spawning,  particulnrly 
SO  as  they  have  to  get  back  into  condition  in  a  fresh  \vat('r  lake,  ratlier 


Fig.    43.      Proper  methud  of  linlding-  dry-rly  rod.    Photo- 
graph by  R.  L.   M. 

tluin  in  their  real  environment,  the  sea.  Early  in  the  season  they  are 
good,  but  they  begin  to  fall  off  about  the  middle  of  June,  and  it  is 
not  until  the  latter  part  of  August  that  they  become  fit  again. 

J/r.s.  Tourist:  Mj'  husband  hns  been  telling  us  of  the  wonderful  sport 
you  had  today.  I  wish  we  had  been  along  instead  of  going  over  that 
rough  road  to  the  lake. 

Second  Tourist:  Why  didn't  you  begin  to  fish  as  soon  as  you  reached 
the  river?  Tourist  tells  me  that  you  waited  for  nearly  half  an  hour 
before  you  begaji  fi.shing. 

Angler:  AVhen  trout  arc  not  feeding  on  the  surface  it  is  very  diffi- 
cult to  induce  them  to  rise  to  a  dry  fly.  One  or  two  authorities  on  the 
art  have  stated  that  when  the  exact  position  of  a  fish  is  known,  it 
can  sometimes  be  coaxed  to  take  a  dry  fly,  if  the  fly  is  floated  over  it 


CALIFORNIA  FISH   AND  GAME.  159 

a  number  of  times.  In  order  to  be  successful,  it  is  necessary  to  cast 
as  many  as  twelve  or  more  times  over  the  fish.  Each  cast  has  to  be 
letter  perfect  and  the  fly  should  not  be  lifted  off:  the  water  until  there 
is  absolutely  no  chance  of  frightening  the  fish.  One  mistake  spoils 
everything.  If  the  suspicions  of  the  fish  are  once  aroused,  he  loses 
all  interest  in  the  proceedings. 

The  theory  is  that  by  making  a  number  of  casts  over  the  fish,  you 
create  in  his  mind'  the  belief  that  there  is  a  hatch  of  some  fly  coming 
on,  and  so  long  as  no  mistakes  are  made,  the  effort  may  eventually  be 
successful.  The  fish  in  this  river,  however,  seem  to  feed  mainly  on 
grasshoppers,  and  during  the  time  that  the  grasshoppers  are  present 
in  large  numbers  they  pay  very  little  attention  to  anything  else. 

Third  Tourist:  Don't  the  fish  feed  in  the  evenings,  when  there  are 
generally  lots  of  flies  on  the  water? 

Angler:  Not  during  the  time  of  the  harvest  of  'hoppers.  You  will 
notice  a  lot  of  small  fish  and  some  chubs  feeding  on  these  flies;  but 
tlie  larger  fish  are  resting  while  their  heavy  meal  of  'hoppers  is  digest- 
ing. Whenever  you  happen  to  be  fishing  in  a  stream  where  you  know 
there  are  good-sized  trout  and  you  catch  nothing  but  small  ones,  you 
ean  make  up  your  mind  that  the  big  fellows  are  not  feeding.  When 
they  do  feed  the  little  trout  keep  out  of  the  way. 

Second  Tourist:  Then  as  I  understand  it,  when  the  fish  are  not 
feeding  on  the  surface,  a  dry  fly  is  not  much  good. 

Angler:  That  is  connect  Math  one  exception — ^there  is  of  course  the 
possibility  of  getting  an  odd  fish  by  creating  an  artificial  rise  of  fly. 
When  the  dry  fly  does  not  produce  results,  then  we  change  over  and 
fish  with  a  wet  or  sunk  fly  and  quite  possibly  get  some  fish. 

Third  Tourist:  Why  didn't  you  fish  with  a  wet  fly  while  you  were 
waiting  this  morning? 

Angler :  First  of  all,  I  knew  it  was  only  a  question  of  a  comparatively 
short  time  before  the  'hoppers  would  begin  to  fly.  Then,  again,  these 
fish  are  shy.  They  are  very  wary  and  not  easy  to  catch,  as  the  result 
of  the  continual  fishing  that  goes  on  day  after  day  throughout  the 
entire  open  season.  I  considered  it  best  not  to  add  still  further  tio 
tlieir  education  liy  raking  the  water  with  a  wet  fly  when  I  was  so  sure 
that  they  would  soon  be  feeding  on  the  top. 

Tourist:  You  remember  speaking  about  "drag"?  Should  a  dry  fly 
alwiays  float  with  the  stream  and  never  move  at  all  on  the  surface  ? 

Angler:  In  general,  yes.  But  there  are  times  and  occasions  when  a 
deliberate  drag,  that  is,  a  drag  produced  by  the  fisherman  himself,  may 
get  a  fish  to  rise,  when  possibly  if  no  drag  had  been  made,  he  would 
pay  no  attention  to  the  fly. 

Second  Tourist :  This  sounds  interesting.  Can  you  give  an  example 
from  your  own  experience  where  a  forced  drag  was  successful? 

Angler:  Yes.  A  few  weeks  ago  I  was  fishing  farther  north.  During 
the  latter  part  of  the  afternoon  a  lot  of  small  sedge  flies  hatched  out 
and  got  onto  the  water.  These  flies  belong  to  a  different  family  than 
that  to  which  the  majority  of  the  flies  that  we  see  belong.  The  sedge 
flies  light  on  the  surface;  fly  up  a  short  distance  and  light  again. 
When  they  are  on  the  surface,  they  frequently  move,  sometimes  even 


160  CALIFORNIA  PISH   AND  GAME. 

running  alonu'  tlio  top  of  the  water  for  a  short  distance.  In  olden 
times  the  antics  they  perfonned  eai-ned  tlieni  the  name  of  "caperer. " 
On  several  occasions  on  this  trip  I  i)la.ced  my  fly  over  a  rising  fisli 
without  any  result.  Tlie  fish  was  not  "put  down,"  because  it  went  on 
rising.  Finally,  I  decided  to  see  what  effect  it  would  have  if  I  made 
my  fly  copy  the  motions  of  the  flies  on  which  the  fish  were  feeding. 
I  liad  already  past  three  tmies  for  the  particular  fish  tliat  I  was 
going  to  experiment  on.  However,  I  cast  and  as  soon  as  the  fly  got 
ne<ar  the  place  where  the  fi.sh  was  feeding.  I  delil)erately  made  the  fly 
move  slightly  on  tlie  surface  of  the  water.  Well,  the  fish  fell  for  it 
and  I  got  him  all  right. 

The  same  scheme  worked  again  successfidly  once  or  twice,  but  until 
it  has  been  further  tested,  it  can  not  be  regarded  as  a  standard  tactic 
to  adopt.  There  will  always  be  the  doubt,  "would  not  the  fish  have 
taken  the  fly  without  the  artificially-produced  drag?" 

The  fish  in  that  section  were  harder  to  catch  than  the  fish  here  in 
the  river. 

Second  Tourist:  Well,  all  I  can  say  is — they  took  "some"  catching 
if  they  were  harder  to  catch  than  these  boys  here.  Yesterday  I  fished 
for  fully  two  hours,  and  never  got  a  single  bite.  At  home,  I  can 
always  get  a  mess  of  trout  ^\^thout  any  trouble  at  all. 

Third  Tourist:  Back  where  we  come  from,  we  never  see  as  many 
people  fishing  as  we  have  seen  here.  I  expect  tliat  has  sometliing  to 
do  with  it. 

Second  Tourist:  You  spoke  of  "drag"  just  now.  I  don't  quite  get 
you.     What  does  it  mean? 

Angler:  "Drag"  is  a  term  used  to  define  the  unnatural  movement 
of  the  artificial  fly  on  the  surface  of  the  water.  The  duns  and  spin- 
ners, Ephmeridse,  do  not  move  on  the  surface,  they  merely  float  quies- 
cent. Now,  if  an  artificial  fly  that  is  intended  to  represent  one  of 
this  family  should  suddenly  start  across  the  water  leaving  a  wake 
behind  it,  the  suspicions  of  the  trout  would  be  aroused  at  once  and  it 
would  undoubtedly  let  "that  queer  acting  fly"  pass  on.  If  they  are 
very  wary,  they  stop  feeding  for  awhile,  or  as  the  expression  goes  they 
are  "put  down,"  which  means  that  they  gently  sink  to  the  bottom  of 
the  stream  and  do  not  come  up  again  for  some  time. 

The  water,  where  I  experimented  with  a  forced  drag,  was  very  slow 
moving,  so  much  so  that  to  all  intents  and  purposes,  there  was  no 
current  at  all.  The  surface  was  like  polished  glass.  Unless  there  is 
a  breeze  to  ruffle  the  water  the  fish  are  always  difficult  to  approach 
under  such  conditions.  The  forced  drag  was  successful  when  there 
was  no  air  stirring.  As  I  remarked  hefore,  the  fish  were  feeding  on 
a  small  sedge  fly.  I  had  only  one  fly  of  this  type  with  me,  namely, 
"the  AVelshman's  button."  The  fly  was  so  totally  unlike  the  natural 
one  that  I  did  not  expect  to  do  any  good  with  it.  However,  I  had 
lately  been  reading  a  book  by  "Reel  Quill"  (James  Englefield),  who 
is  an  authority.  lie  stated  that  he  fished  an  entire  season  with  only 
one  pattern  of  fly,  namely,  the  "red  quill."  He  used  it  rain  or  shine, 
when  the  fisli  were  rising  to  duns  or  spinners,  an.d  also  when  they  were 
feeding  on  sedge  flies.     Thinking  of  his  success  I  put  on  a  small  red 


CALIFORNIA  FISH  AND  GAME,  161 

quill  and  had  some  very  satisfactory  results  from  it.  I  also  tried  a 
Wiekham's  fancy,  and  was  not  exactly  disappointed  with  what  took 
place. 

Third  Tourist:  But  tell  us,  what  causes  "drag"  and  how  can  you 
prevent  it  ? 

Angler:  There  is  not  much  danger  of  a  "drag"  where  the  surface 
currents  are  steady.  But  if  the  stream  is  faster  or  slower  at  the  spot 
where  the  feeding  fish  lieis  than  it  is  between  that  spot  and  the  place 
where  you  are  standing,  there  is  bound  to  be  a  drag  if  your  line  falls 
straight  across  the  water. 

Third  Tourist :  But  why  ? 

Angler :  Because  as  soon  as  the  line  begins  to  float  down,  the  swifter 
portion  of  the  surface  makes  the  line  belly  out.  This  causes  the  fly  at 
the  end  to  move  toward  the  belly  of  the  line,  in  other  words,  to  "drag" 
on  the  surface.  This  can  be  corrected,  to  a  certain  extent,  by  causing 
the  line  to  fall  in  a  curve,  either  up  or  down  stream,  as  the  current 
requires. 

Second  Tourist :  But  how  can  you  make  the  line  fall  as.  it  should  ? 

Angler:  By  making  the  cast  in  a  horizontal  plane — side  stroke — 
instead  of  a  vertical  plane,  or  overhead  stroke. 

Third  Tourist:  Tourist  tells  me  that  you  hold  your  reel  with  the 
handle  pointing  to  the  left.  Don't  you  find  it  rather  awkward  to  wind 
up  the  line  with  the  left  hand? 

Angler:  Not  so  that  you  would  notice  it.  I  have  brought  some  of 
my  junk  along  and  by  using  it  to  demonstrate  with,  I  may  be  able  to 
explain  why  I  do  this.  Incidentally,  I  might  remark  that  professional 
opinion  tells  me  that  my  method  is  the  right  way,  or  as  an  authority 
recently  told  me,  it  is  ' '  academically  the  right  way  to  fish. ' ' 

Mrs.  Tourist:  What  do  you  call  "professional  opinion?" 

Angler:  The  expressed  views  of  some  of  the  leading  manufacturers 
of  fishing  tackle. 

Now,  here  is  my  rod  with  the  reel  on  it.  (See  Fig.  43.)  You  will 
observe  that  I  hold  the  line  with  my  second  finger.  It  has  the  longest 
reach  and  consequently  I  can,  without  moving  the  rest  of  my  hand, 
get  hold  of  the  loose  line  and  secure  it  with  less  trouble  than  any  of 
the  other  fingers.  To  release  the  line,  when  I  have  hooked  a  good, 
gamey  fish,  I  merely  straighten  out  my  finger  for  a  moment.  If  I 
use  the  reel  in  this  manner  I  am  never  bothered  with  slack  line,  for 
as  soon  as  the  fly  is  delivered,  I  wind  up  any  line  that  may  be  hanging 
in  a  loop.  The  second  finger  reaches  out  and  hooks  onto  the  line  and 
brings  it  down  to  the  hand  grasp  as  you  see  now.  If  the  handle  of 
the  reel  stuck  out  to  the  right  I  could  not  do  this,  unless  I  had  a  third 
or  supplementary  arm  and  hand  on  the  right  side.  I  wiU  admit 
that  with  one  exception  all  the  angling  writers  advocate  the  handle 
of  the  reel  to  the  right,  but  anyone  who  has  tried  the  other  way  and 
learned  how  to  wind  with  the  left  hand,  which  is  extremely  easy  to  do, 
never  goes  back  to  the  other  position. 


162 


CALIFORNIA  FISH   AND  GAME. 


Third  Tourist:  There  is  somotliing  in  that.  But  don't  you  find 
that  you  lose  more  fi,sh  your  Avay? 

Angler:  My  experience  lias  sliowii   nie   that  adopting  my  method 
produces  just  tlie  opposite  result.     For  instanoe 
place   where   the   fi.sh,    although  they   were   large 
between.     One  day  I  kept  careful  count  of  tlu' 
totalled  exactly  three;  not  thirty -three,  but  three, 
rises  do  you  suppose  I  hooked? 

2'ourist :  One  out  of  three  would  be  a  fair  average 
three  would  be  reinai-kahle.     How  many  did  you  hook? 

Angler:  All  three.  Two  of  the  fish  were  landed;  the  third  got  off  by 
coming  a  few  feet  towards  me  and  darting  off  under  a  sunken  log. 
I  couldnt  kee]>  him  out  because  the  only  possible  method  would  liave 
been  to  ])ush  liiiii  away  with  the  line,  whicli  was  imjiossible. 


I  was  fishing  in  a 
were  few  and  far 
rises  I  had.  They 
How  many  of  those 


Two  out  of 


Fig.   44.      A    good    type    of    reel    for   a    dry-fly    rod.      riiotogiapli    by    R.    1..    -M. 

Second  Tourist:  AVon't  you  show  us  the  rest  of  your  paraphernalia? 

Angler:  Here  are  a  couple  of  modern  fly  reels.  (See  Fig.  44.)  They 
are  short  length  spools  of  large  diameter.  Consecpiently,  you  can 
wind  up  line  very  fast  with  them. 

Third  Tourist:  Did  you  ever  use  an  automatic  reel? 

Angler:  No.  I  do  not  think  that  they  are  satisfactory.  The  reel, 
besides  being  used  as  a  device  to  care  for  the  spare  line,  acts  as  a 
counter  weight  and  balances  rod.  The  weight  of  an  automatic  reel 
is  so  great  that  it  overbalances  any  normal  fly  rod. 

Here  is  an  old-time  fly  l)ox.  This  is  known  as  the  "Houghton"  fly 
box  and  has  been  made  for  a  number  of  years.  I  have  had  tliis 
particidar  one  ever  since  1899,  but  it  is  still  in  fair  condition. 

Tourist:  Why  the  "Houghton"? 

Angler:  It  is  named  after  a  famous  old  fishing  club  of  that  name. 
Ever  since  1822,  the  club  has  Iwised  or  owikhI  riparian  rights  on  the 


CALIFORNIA  FISH  AND  GAME. 


163 


Test,  a  river  in  the  soiitli  of  England.   wlii<*li  is  noted  for  its  trout 
fishing  and  more  particularly  for  the  dry-fly  branch  of  that  art. 

3Irs.  Tourist:  You  have  quite  a  nice  collection  of  flies  in  tliat  box. 
I  notice  that  they  seem  to  be  graded  from  quite  dark  flies  to  some 
that  are  nearly  white  in  their  general  makeup.  Is  it  necessary  to 
have  many  different  kinds  of  flies? 

Angler:  Not  absolutely.  There  are  twelve  different  patterns  there. 
As  a  general  rule,  there  is  sufficient  variety  in  such  a  collection  to 
find  the  right  fly  for  the  fish.     The  grasshopper  fly  is  not  there,  but 


Fig.   45.      I'ly  box  and  dry  Hies.     Photograph  by  R.  L.  M. 

that  fly  is  more  or  less  a  purely  local  pattern.  By  that  I  mean,  it 
would  be  worse  than  useless,  unless,  the  fish  were  feeding  on  'hoppers. 

Mrs.  Tourist :  What  are  the  names  of  your  flies  ? 

Angler:  Well,  here  I  have  the  red  quill.  These  are  Wickham's 
fancies.  For  a  very  light-colored  fly,  I  use  this,  which  is  called 
Kingsley's  cocktail  spinner.  The  opposite,  or  the  prince  of  darkness, 
is  this  one,  which  is  known  as  Greenwell's  glory.  This  is  the  medium 
olive  dun,  and  this  one  is  the  witchurch  dun.  Then  here  is  that  old 
standby  the  hare's  ear.  This  fly  won  distinction,  for  it  was  with  it 
that  the  largest  trout  ever  caught  with  the  dry  fly  was  hooked. 

Third  Tourist :  How  big  was  it  ? 

Angler:  It  weighed  twelve  and  three-quarters  pounds  and  took  one 
hour  and  a  quarter  to  land.  Its  fortunate  captor  was  the  Reverend 
S.  E.  V.  Filleul  of  Wareham. 

Third  Tourist:  Some  fish,  I'll  say  so! 

Angler :  This  fiy  is  the  whirling  blue  dun,  and  here  we  have  the 
pink  lady,  the  invention  of  Mr.  George  M.  La  Branche  of  New  York. 
This  animal  with  no  wings  is  Tup's  indispensable,  which  is  supposed 


164  CALIFORNIA  FISH   AND  GAME. 

to  represent  the  fly  just  at  the  moment  it  reaches  the  surface,  before 
it  has  gotten  rid  of  its  outer  skin  and  put  its  wings  out.  Finally, 
here  we  have  tlie  "whole  dam  dun  family"  and  the  "blood  relation" 
or  "first  eoiLsin"  to  the  "dam  dun  family." 

Second  Tourist:  Why  such  a  name  for  a  poor  inoffensive  fly? 

Angler:  This  fly  is  intended  to  be  a  composite  portrait  of  all  the 
duns.  Its  cousin  is  a  slight  variation  with  woodcock  wings  and  is 
very  useful  when  the  march  bi'own  fly  is  on  the  water.  These  two  are 
my  own  design. 

Second  Tourist:  Are  they  any  good? 

Angler:  Well,  tlie  first  time  I  used  "the  family"  I  got  hold  of  a 
big  trout  tliat  escaped  by  promptly  getting  down  between  some  rocks 
and  sawing  off  my  leader.  The  next  day  at  almost  my  first  cast  with 
the  same  fly  I  got  a  three-and-a-half-pound  fisli  and  long  before  it 
got  dark  or  even  the  cows  came  home,  I  had  caught  the  limit. 

Mrs.  Tourist :  Which  is  your  favorite  fly  ? 

Angler:  The  grasshopper,  when  the  fish  are  feeding  on  it.  But 
when  they  are  feeding  on  small  flies  I  have  no  first  choice.  The  fact 
of  the  nmtter  is  that  one  fly  is  as  good  as  another  provided  the  size 
is  light.  The  most  important  thing  is  to  have  confidence  that  the 
fly  you  are  using  is  the  one  and  only  fly  to  use.  If  you  can  attain 
to  this  degree  of  perfection  then  you  will  catch  fish.  However,  we 
are  human  and  we  have  our  d(mbts  and  in  order  to  be  on  the  safe  side 
it  is  just  as  well  to  have  a  variety  of  flies  along,  even  if  you  do 
confine  yourself  to  only  one  or  two  patterns. 

Mrs.  Tourist:  Well,  we  have  had  a  most  delightful  visit,  and  if 
ever  you  come  our  way  you  must  certainly  come  out  to  the  ranch  and 
have  some  fishing  where  there  will  not  be  so  many  people  fishing  all 
around  you. 

Angler :  Here  are  a  few  grasshopper  flies  that  may  be  useful  in 
the  future. 

Tourist :  Man,y  thanks.     And  good  luck  to  you. 


CALIFORNIA  FISH  AND  GAME. 


165 


CALIFORNIA  FISH  AND  GAME 


A  publication  devoted  to  the  conserva- 
tion of  wild  life  and  published  quarterly 
by  the  California  State  Fish  and  Game 
Commission. 

Sent  free  to  citizens  of  the  State  of  Cali- 
fornia. Offered  in  exchange  for  ornitho- 
logical, mammalogical  and  similar  period- 
icals. 

The  articles  published  in  California 
Fish  and  Game  are  not  copyrighted  and 
may  be  reproduced  in  other  periodicals, 
provided  due  credit  is  given  the  California 
Fish  and  Game  Commission.  Editors  of 
newspapers  and  periodicals  are  invited 
to   make  use   of  pertinent   material. 

All  material  for  publication  should  be 
sent  to  H.  C.  Bryant,  Museum  of  Verte- 
brate  Zoology,    Berkeley,   Cal. 


OCTOBER    28,    1920. 


It  cannot  be  expected  that  wild  life 
resources,  if  left  to  themselves,  will  con- 
tinue to  yield  food  and  sport  Indefinitely. 
A  constant  supply  can  only  be  maintained 
through  carefully  planned  protection  and 
propagation,  and  the  necessary  expense  in- 
volved in  such  an  undertaking  is  justified 
by  any  results  which  are  as  outstanding 
as  those  of  fish  and  game. 

COMMISSION'S      DUTY     TO      PROTECT 
FISH    AND   GAME. 

We  often  hear  unjust  criticism  of 
the  Fish  and  Game  Commission,  because 
of  the  wrong:  attitude  taken  by  many 
sportsmen.  There  are  many  persons  who 
seem  to  think  that  the  hunter  or  fisher- 
man is  better  qualified  to  dictate  as  to 
what  the  law  should  be  than  the  Fish 
and  Game  Commission.  They  fail  to 
realize  that  they  view  questions  from 
rather  a  selfish  poiiiit  of  view.  The 
members  of  the  Commission  are  in  a 
1)etter  position  to  know  conditions  and  to 
.iudge  as  to  needs  than  any  individual  or 
group  of  individuals,  for  it  is  their  busi- 
ness and  not  simply  their  hobby.  The 
Fish  and  Game  Commission  must  stand 
as  a  barrier  to  protect  fish  and  game. 
It  takes  into  account  the  safety  of  the 
different  species  more  largely  than  the 
desire  of  the  man  who  hunts  and  fishes. 

SUMMER     RESORT     EDUCATIONAL 
WORK. 

The  educational  work  in  the  Yosemite 
National  Park  carried  on  under  the  joint 
auspices  of  the  National  Park  Service 
niul  tiie  California  Fish  and  Game  Com- 
mission  this   past   summer   proved   to   be 


very  popular  and  very  much  worth  while. 
The   work   was   designed   to   bring  useful 
information   regarding   wild   life   and    the 
methods  of  conserving  it  to  the  summer 
vacationist.      The    term    "Nature    Guide 
Service,"  applied  to  it,  but  partially  ex- 
plains   the    different    fields    of    endeavor. 
In    addition    to    the    scheduled    field   trips 
for    both    aduLts    and    children,    formal 
lectures  and  campfire  talks  were  given-  at 
the  various  resorts.     Such  game  birds  as 
the    band-tailed    pigeon,    mountain    quail, 
Sierra  grouse   and  spotted  sandpiper  en- 
countered on  the  different  field  excursions 
gave    splendid    opportunity    for    the    dis- 
cussion   of    the    present    status    and    the 
methods    for    the    conservation    of    these 
different    game   species.      Wild   life    films 
and   stereopticon   slides   were   used   to   il- 
luslrate  the  lectures.     An  office  hour  held 
at  the  National  Park   Service  office  gave 
Yosemite  visitors  a  chance  to  have  ques- 
tions answered.     A  total  or  nearly  1400 
persons,   a   large   number  of   whom   were 
children,   were  given   first  hand   infonna- 
tion    regarding   birds,    mammals   and   fish 
through   the   medium   of   field    trips,   ajid 
over  25,000  persons  through  the  medium 
of    lectures.      Thus    does    the   plan    grow 
for  making  "conservationists  out  of  sum- 
mer vacationists." 

THE   GRIZZLY. 

In  the  Conservationist  for  August, 
1920,  Mr.  Enos  Mills  has  contributed  a 
short  appeal  on  behalf  of  the  vanishing 
grizzly.  The  need  for  the  protection  of 
this  splendid  animal  in  California  was  not 
appreciated  soon  enough.  California, 
where  the  grizzly  was  but  a  short  time 
ago  found  in  considerable  numbers,  is 
now  without  a  single  representative,  and 
it  is  to  be  trusted  that  the  people  who 
live  in  the  sections  of  our  country  where 
he  is  still  to  be  found  will  not  be  so 
short-sighted. 

Mr.  Mills  says:  "The  grizzly  is  dis- 
tinguished by  keenly  developed  senses, 
alertness,  sustained  curio.sity,  and  superior 
mentality. 

"Although  the  grizzly  in  not  ferocius, 
and  although  he  does  not  eat  human 
flesh,  most  people  unfortunately  believe 
the  contrary.  One  is  as  likely  to  be 
assaulted  i)y  a  jack  i-abbit  as  by  a 
grizzly,  and  far  more  likely  to  be  chased 
by  a  tame  cow  or  a  civilized  dog. 


166 


CALIFORNIA  FISH   AND  GAME. 


"The  griz/I.v  destroys  many  pests — 
rats,  mice,  ral)hits  and  grasshoppers. 
Most  of  his  food  habits  are  economically 
beneficial  to  mankind.  Exceptional 
grizzlies  have  turned  cattle  killers;  but 
cattle  or  big  game  killing  is  confined  to 
exceptional  individuals  and  not  to  ex- 
ceptional doings  of  all  grizzlies. 

"The  grizzly  has  courage,  loyaltj'  and 
individuality.  *  *  *  Our  race  loses  if 
the  grizzly  goes.  He  is  the  master  touch 
to  arouse  the  imagination,  to  perpetuate 
the  strange  primeval  memories,  to  give 
the  wilderness  its  supreme  spell." 

We  hope  that  the  consen-ationists  who 
are  interested  in  the  protection  of  this 
monarch  of  the  wilds  will  be  successful  in 
spreading  the  gospel  of  their  conservation 
and  that  early  attention  will  be  given 
the  black  bear  that  it  may  not  follow  the 
grizzly. 

BEAVERS   INCREASE   IN  THE  ADIRON- 
DACKS. 

A  careful  study  of  the  beaver  in  the 
Adirondacks  has  shown  that  this  fur- 
bearer  is  now  so  abundant  that  an  open 
season  is  not  only  safe  but  necessary 
to  prevent  too  much  damage  being  done 
to  timber  and  cultivated  crops.  In  the 
day  of  the  trapper  the  annual  exporta- 
tion of  beaver  pelts  from  New  York  State 
alone  amounte<l  to  8,000.  This  was  in 
the  days  of  the  beaver  hat,  in  the  year 
lG()v3.  By  1820  beavers  were  so  reduced 
in  numbers  that  they  probably  numbered 
a  little  more  than  1.000  in  the  Adiron- 
dacks. In  1805  it  has  been  estimated 
that  there  were  not  more  than  five  or  ten 
animals  left  in  this  same  region.  About 
this  time  efforts  were  made  by  sportsmen 
to  not  only  protect  the  beaver,  but  to 
restock  some  of  the  streams.  In  190G 
some  actual  restocking  took  place,  34 
beavers  in  all  were  released  during  the 
restocking  period,  and  at  tne  present 
time.  14  years  later,  the  beaver  in  the 
Adirimdacks  are  easily  estimated  at  from 
5.000  to  10.000.  Beavers  are  now  so 
abundant  that  considerable  damage  is 
caused  by  flooding  timber  areas  and  ob- 
structing navigation. 

The  simple  remedy  for  the  conditions 
as  they  now  exist  is  to  ask  the  New- 
York  Legislature  to  open  the  season  on 
beavers,  and  this  will  be  done. 


This  Ls  another  case  similar  to  (hat 
of  the  deer  in  Vermont,  where  restocking 
proved  eminently  successful.  Wild  ani- 
mals have  wonderful  powers  of  recuper- 
ation and  if  given  a  chance  will  quickly 
restock  the  area.  Better,  however,  than 
restocking  is  the  conservation  of  a  sufli- 
(ont  breeding  stock. 

STATE     FAIR     EXHIBIT. 

The  exhibit  at  the  State  Fair  which 
drew  so  much  favorable  attention  last 
year  was  remodeled  and  improved  for 
the  1020  fair.  The  observation  platform 
was  moved  farther  away,  additional  foot- 
hills were  added  and  a  miniature  electric 
train,  with  bridges  and  tunnels,  was  in- 
stalled and  better  lighting  effects  supplied. 
It  will  be  remembered  that  the  exhibit  is 
a  cyclorama,  showing  the  Sierra  from 
.Mount  Shasta  on  the  north  to  Mount 
Whitney  on  the  south,  with  miniature 
hatchery  buldings  in  the  foreground,  and 
still  nearer  in  the  foreground  a  large  lake 
containing  live  trout.  Of  particular  in- 
terest this  year  were  the  added  cloud 
effects.  While  changing  colors  which 
light  the  mountains  show  the  change  from 
day  to  night,  clouds  sweep  across  the  sky 
and  later  the  stars  appear.  This  is  fol- 
lowed by  the  rosy  tints  of  morning. 

Visitors  to  the  fair  unhesitatingly 
stated  thit  this  exhibit  was  not  only  the 
finest  exhibit  on  the  fair  grounds  but  the 
finest  ever  shown  in  the  West,  even  ex- 
ceeding any  of  those  shown  at  the  Pan- 
ama-Pacific Exposition. 

As  in  previous  years  there  was  a  splen- 
did aijuarium  display  of  food  and  game 
fishes,  including  the  famous  golden  trout. 

LAW    LEGALIZES    CARRYING    OF    GUN 
IN   CLOSED  SEASON. 

At  the  last  session  of  the  legislature 
jack  rabbits  were  placed  on  the  predatory 
mammal  list,  thus  not  only  allowing  kil- 
ling at  all  times  but  allowing  the  killing 
of  them  without  a  hunting  licen.se.  Gi'ant- 
ing  that  the  jack  ral)l)it  is  a  pest  and 
needs  no  protection  at  the  present  time, 
yet  this  law  gives  the  alien  hunter  and 
violator  a  chance  to  carry  a  gun  the 
year  around,  thus  making  law  enforce- 
ment particularly  dilhcnlt.  More  and 
more  it  becomes  evident  that  the  carry- 
ing  of   a   gun   during   certain   seasons   of 


CALIFORNIA  FISH  AND  GAME. 


167 


(he  year  should  be  sufficient  cause  for 
arrest.  Otherwise,  on  the  plea  of  hunt- 
ing jack  rahl)its,  the  viohitor  has  a  chance 
to  l)e  in  the  field  during  the  closed  season 
for  quail  and  other  game.  All  sports- 
men should  be  alive  to  the  danger  if  this 
law  continues  to  stand  on  the  statute 
books. 

MORE   TRAINED  CONSERVATIONISTS. 

That  there  is  increased  interest  in  wild 
life  is  clearly  shown  by  the  educational 
opportunities  offered  in  institutions  of 
learning.  Cornell  University  has  been 
offering  splendid  courses  on  game  propa- 
gation and  more  recently  there  has  been 
formed  at  McGregor,  Iowa,  the  American 
School  of  Wild  Life  Protection  and 
Propagation.  The  aim  is  to  establish 
an  institution  that  will  not  only  fill  the 
interest  and  needs  of  the  individual  stu- 
dent, but  one  which  will  at  the  same  time 
further  the  discussion  and  elucidation  of 
large  questions,  such  as  water  supply, 
dospoliaition  of  forests  and  the  indis- 
criminate draining  of  lakes.  It  will  be 
remembered  that  there  has  been  con- 
siderable agitation  for  a  national  park  in 
I  he  near  vicinity  of  McGregor,  conse- 
quently the  location  of  this  school  is 
ideal.  The  faculty  will  be  made  up  of 
noted  scientists  connected  with  Iowa 
State  University,  Morningside  College, 
Cornell   College   and   Iowa   State  College. 

With  a  new  fisheries  college  established 
at  the  University  of  Washington  and  the 
■two  in.stitutions  mentioned  above,  there 
should  be  no  lack  of  trained  men  to  fill 
situations  connected  with  our  conserva- 
tion departments.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that 
there  will  be  a  larger  body  of  trained 
men  and  that  other  institutions  will  be 
forced  to  offer  work  of  a  similar  nature. 

MUD-HEN    STEW     "HUNTER    STYLE." 

Many  a  hunter  having  bagged  a  mud- 
hen  throws  the  bird  a\vay  because  he 
does  not  realize  its  food  value.  When 
properly  cooked  the  mud-hen  is  delicious, 
only  surpassed  in  flavor  by  the  better 
ducks.  Mr.  W.  W.  Richards  offers  the 
following  recipe,  which  has  been  used 
for  many  years  at  "Green  Lodge",  his 
duck  preserve  on  the  Suisun  marshes  : 


Mud-Hen   Stew. 
Mud-hens.  Half  a  bay  leaf. 

^  pound  salt  pork.     Salt. 
1      medium     sized     Pepper, 
onion.  1    teaspoon    curry 

Potatoes  (as  de-     powder, 
sired).  2  tablespoons  flour, 

i  dozen  cloves. 

Skin  the  birds — -do  not  pick  them — - 
and  soak  them  a  few  hours,  or  all  night, 
in  water  to  which  has  been  added  a  little 
salt.  Then  remove  the  birds  from  the 
salt  water  and  put  them  in  a  kettle 
containing  sufficient  water  to  cover  them. 
Let  the  water  come  to  a  boil,  then  pour 
the  water  off ;  add  half  a  pound  of  salt 
pork,  cut  in  dices  ;  cover  with  hot  water, 
and  let  boil  about  one  hour.  Then  add- 
half  a  dozen  whole  cloves ;  one  medium 
sized  onion  cut  up  fine ;  half  a  bay  leaf ; 
salt  and  pepper  to  taste ;  and  peeled 
potatoes  as  desired. 

Mix  one  teaspoon  of  curry  powder  and 
two  tablespoons  of  white  flour  with 
enough  water  to  make  a  smooth  paste, 
and  add  this  to  the  stew  and  let  it  cook 
about  half  an  hour  longer  before  serv- 
ing it. 

Serve  with  boiled  rice  as  a  side  dish,  if 
desired. 

MAKING    CONSERVATIONISTS. 

What  more  unpleasant  reflection  could 
be  made  on  the  sportsmen  and  the  people 
of  the  United  States  generally  than  in 
the  statement  ■  quoted  :  "Though  game 
protection  in  the  United  States  is  now 
more  than  two  hundred  years  old,  it  has 
not  protected  the  game?"  As  early  as 
1701)  there  w^as  a  closed  season  placed 
upon  deer,  wild  turkeys,  heath  hens  and 
partridges,  in  the  state  of  New  York, 
with  a  fixed  penalty  for  violations  of  the 
law ;  and  today  the  most  important  game 
animal  in  New  York  State  is  the  rabbit. 
The  wild  turkey  and  heath  hens  are  ex- 
tinct and  the  deer  and  partridges  are 
■maintained  only  nnder^  the  proltective 
measures  of  the  State  Conservation 
Commission.  However,  such  demoralizing 
evidence  is  of  inestimable  value  if  it 
makes  the  people  of  each  and  every  state 
think   of  its   own  wild   life   and   the  best 


168 


CALIFORNIA  FISH  AND  GAME, 


ways  and  means  of  affording  it  protec- 
tion. New  York  has  arisen  to  its  re- 
sponsibilities and  can  well  be  a  splendid 
example  to  most  states.  Mr.  Pratt  of 
the  Conservation  Commission  of  New 
York  believes  that  the  crux  of  the  whole 
problem  is  to  be  found  in  having  laws, 
based  on  exact  knowledge  and  biological 
investigation,  carried  out  by  an  efficient 
game  protective  force. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  the  value  of 
having  an  intelligent,  efficient,  nonpo- 
litical  body  of  men  as  game  wardens  can 
hardly  be  overestimated.  But  of  what 
lasting  value  was  the  Prussian  military 
system  without  the  united  support  of  the 
entire  populace?  Of  what  value  is  any 
system  without  cooperation?  Of  major 
importance  is  the  development  of  moral 
force,  and  this  is  accomplished  through 
the  education  of  the  people.  If  the  stale 
game  wardens  can  stand  as  educators  of 
the  people  then,  indeed,  they  can  be  even 
more  justly  proud  of  their  worth.  Make 
it  the  people's  affair,  the  people's  inter- 
est, the  people's  pride  to  protect  the  wild 
life  in  the  state,  and  the  people,  not  a 
small  struggling  minority,  will  protect 
the  wild  life  of  the  country. 

New  York  is  visualizing  the  cause  by 
an  emblem  designed  for  permanent  use, 
a  small  celluloid  card  interpreting  the 
emblem  being  given  with  each  one. 
The  cause  is  becoming  popularized,  and 
the  creed  is  one  which  we  should  all 
stand  for: 

"I  believe  that  'God  has  lent  us  the 
earth  for  our  life.  It  is  a  great  entail. 
It  belongs  as  much  to  those  who  are  to 
come  after  us  as  to  us,  and  we  have  no 
right,  by  anything  we  do  or  neglect,  to 
involve  them  in  any  unnecessary  pen- 
alties, or  to  deprive  them  of  the  benefit 
which  was  in  our  power  to  bequeatli.' — 
Ruskin.  ! 

"That,  in  a  great  democracy  of  free 
people,  the  protection  of  wild  life  and 
the  preservation  of  all  other  natural  re- 
sources, which  underlie^  national  pros- 
perity and  happiness,  must  depend,  finally, 
as  does  the  stability  of  the  government 
itself,  upon  the  support  and  willing  serv- 
ice of  every  citizen. 

"I  thex'efore  declare  my  adherence  to 
these  principles,  and  have  enrolled  myself 
as  an  active  Conservationist  of  the  Em- 
pire State." 


When  the  people  carry  this  creed  in 
their  hearts  rather  than  on  a  celluloid 
card  in  their  vest  pockets,  the  conserva- 
tionist will  have  won  his  hard  earned 
struggle.  M.  K. 

PRESERVATION    OF    INLAND 
MARSHES. 

Mr.  E.  W.  Nelson,  Chief  of  the  United 
States  Biological  Sun-ey,  has  recently 
pointed  out  the  importance  of  furnishing 
migratory  waterfowl  with  places  where 
they  can  stop  to  rest  and  rear  their 
young.  Certainly  one  of  the  most  im- 
portant factors  in  the  decrease  of  water- 
fowl is  the  reclamation  of  swamp  land, 
which  has  furnished  a  food  supply  and 
safe  breeding  place  for  these  birds.  In 
the  propagation  of  domestic  birds  we  all 
know  that  the  most  necessarj'  things  are 
food  supply,  shelter  and  safe  breeding 
sites,  and  it  is  not  hard  to  see  that  Avild 
birds  are  dependent  for  their  existence 
ou  these  same  three  things.  The  desire 
of  the  American  people  to  commercialize 
absolutely  everything  is  leading  to  the 
reclamation  of  marshes  which  in  reality 
are  more  valuable  as  breeders  of  water- 
fowl than  as  agricultural  producing  areas. 
As  Mr.  Nelson  has  pointed  out,  the 
marsh  lands  under  intelligent  management 
will  yield  abundant  returns  to  the  com- 
munity, as  indicated  in  the  following 
summary   of  their  productiveness: 

1.     Production  of  food  and  game  fishes, 
li.     Wild  fowl,  shot  for  sport  and  food. 

3.  I'urs,  from  such  fur-bearers  as  the 
muskrats,  .skunks,  and  raccoons  which 
frequent  their  borders. 

4.  A    natural    ice   supply. 

Tt.  A  definite  and  invaluable  help  in 
maintaining  the  underground  water  level 
in  various  parts  of  the  state,  and  in  help- 
ing to  hold  back  the  runoff  of  rainfall  to 
prevent  excessive  erosion. 

G.  Opportunities  for  healthful  and  in- 
teresting recreation  for  the  citizens  of  the 
state. 

7.  Where  such  water  areas  are  in- 
cluded in  slate  parks  or  reservations,  they 
lend  theinselvos  admirably  to  educational 
USPS,  and  lielj)  interest  the  people  of  the 
state  in  out-of-door  life  and  in  the  natural 
resoun-es  of  the  state  in  the  form  of  plant 
and   animal   life. 

That  some  states  are  becoming  alert 
to  the  danger,  arising  from  the  demand 
to  drain  many  bodies  of  water,  is  shown 
by  the  fact  that  the  Conservation  Com- 
mission   of    Iowa    is    working    out    plans 


CALIFORNIA  FISH  AND  GAME, 


169 


which  will  permit  the  saving  of  desir- 
able water  areas  from  ill-considered 
drainage,  and  Minnesota  recently,  under 
the  decision  of  the  state  courts,  has  saved 
water  areas  from  drainage,  on  the  ground 
of  their  value  to  the  public  in  their 
natural   state. 

It  is  high  time  that  California  should 
be  aroused  to  the  danger  which  threatens 
the  wild  life  of  the  state  by  the  continu- 
ous drainage  of  water  and  marsh  areas. 
Discussion  along  this  line  is  timely  and 
immediate  effort  must  be  made,  if  suit- 
able areas  for  waterfowl  are  to  be  main- 
tained, 

ANOTHER     SPORTSMEN'S    CREED, 

1.  I  deem  it  a  point  of  honor  never 
to  shoot  a  sitting  bird  (except  cripples). 
I  Avill  not  pot-shot,  and  I  will  not  stand 
for  it  in  my  party. 

2.  I  will  measure  the  success  of  my 
day  afield  not  only  by  the  size  of  my 
bag,  but  by  the  number  of  cripples  I 
leave  behind  me.  I  would  rather  get  a 
mess  of  game  with  no  lost  cripples,  than 
to  kill  the  limit  and  leave  the  woods  full 
of  lost  game.  Accordingly,  I  will  shoot 
to  kill,  and  /  tvill  not  shoot  out  of  range. 

3.  I  am  against  "piecing  out"  the 
other  fellow's  limit.  I  am  against  the 
"dummy  license."  The  legal  limit  applies 
to  the  man,  not  to  the  party.  If  I  can't 
kill  my  own  game  I  don't  want  anyone 
else  to  kill  it  for  me,  and  I  expect  my 
hunting  partners  to  look  at  it  the  same 
way.  If  they  don't,  they  don't  need  my 
company. 

4.  I  will  not  clean  out  a  covey.  "Leav- 
ing some  for  seed"  is  one  of  the  first 
principles  of  sportsmanship. — "T/ie  Pine 
Cone,"   July,   1920. 

THE    AIRPLANE    VIOLATOR. 

Not  long  after  the  invention  of  the 
aii-plane,  it  was  found  that  a  man-made 
machine  could  easily  ovei'take  flying 
waterfowl  and  that  hunting  was  thus 
made  easy.  Hunting  from  an  airplane 
has  grown   in   popularity   and  more   than 


one  state  has  found  that  some  restric- 
tion must  be  placed  in  the  game  laws 
to  prevent  too  great  a  toll  being  taken. 
Game  law  violators  who  ride  in  airplanes 
are  difficult  to  apprehend,  as  are  also  the 
automobile  violators.  It  will  be  remem- 
bered that  at  the  la,st  session  of  the 
legislature  California  prohibited  the 
shooting  of  game  from  airplanes,  auto- 
mobiles, and  sailboats,  as  well  as  from 
power  boats  while  in  motion.  Of  no  less  im- 
portance than  hunting  from  an  airplane,  is 
the  stopping  of  the  shooting  of  hawks  and 
other  birds  from  an  automobile.  Not 
only  are  many  hawks  and  other  valuable 
birds  killed  by  the  man  desiring  some- 
thing to  ishoot,  but  persons  traveling 
along  the  same  road   are  endangered. 

FRANCE     DEMANDS     GAME     REPARA- 
TION. 

France  is  awake  to  the  fact  that  part 
of  the  reparation  owed  her  by  Germany 
is  to  be  found  in  the  game  destroyed  in 
the  region.s  where  heavy  fighting  took  place 
and  in  that  which  Germany  took  to 
augment  her  diminishing  food  supply.  An 
association  of  French  sportsmen  have  de- 
manded that  Germany  repay  the  gunners 
of  France  by  restocking  the  game  reserves 
so  entirely  depleted  by  German  invasion, 
rather  than  by  making  reparation  with 
money.  The  sportsmen  were  so  insistent 
in  their  demands  that  they  convinced  the 
reparation  council  of  the  importance  of 
their  stand,  and  France  is  now  to  de- 
mand from  Germany  and  Austria  live 
game  to  the  value  of  3.j,O0O,00O  francs. 
Germany  and  Austria  must  each  furnish, 
in  four  half-yearly  installments,  2.j0 
stags,  1000  hinds,  200  male  and  400 
female  roe  deer,  200,000  male  hares  and 
400,000  female  and  3,000,000  brace  of 
partridges.  In  addition,  Austria  must 
furnish  ], 000,000  pheasants.  The  greater 
proportion  of  the  game  will  be  liberated 
immediately  upon  arrival,  under  the 
supervision  of  experts.  The  balance  will 
be  held  on  game  farms  as  breeding  stock, 
these  farms  to  be  controlled  and  operated 
by  the  French  government. 


170  CAIilFORNfA   FISH   AND  GAME. 

FACTS  OF  CURRENT  INTEREST. 

Salmon  have  been  caught  on  hook  and  line  as  far  up  the  Sacra- 
mento River  as  Sacramento  this  season.  It  seems  probable  that  the 
exceedingly  low  water,  combined  with  an  invasion  of  salt  water  far 
up  the  river,  has  had  something  to  do  with  the  unusual  catch. 


Angling  interests  have  been  threatened  owing-  to  the  drying  up  of 
many  trout  streams  and  lakes  during  the  past  summer.  It  has  been 
impossible  to  stock  many  streams  which  have  heretofore  been  stocked 
annually,  because  of  the  lack  of  water. 


Hunting  is  growing  more  and  more  popular  as  is  evidenced  by  the 
report  of  the  sale  of  hunting  licenses. 


The  Fish  and  Game  Commission's  State  Fair  exhibit  proved  to  be 
the  most  attractive  one  of  the  1920  fair.  The  one  complaint  was  that 
people  were  unable  to  see  the  exhibit  owing  to  the  crowds. 


Live  golden  trout  were  displayed  again  this  year  at  the  State  Fair. 


A  new  state  fisheries  laboratory  is  now  assured,  as  the  city  of  Los 
Angeles  has  furnished  the  Fish  and  Game  Commission  a  long-time 
lease  on  a  site  at  Fish  Harbor,  San  Pedro. 


The  normal  kill  of  deer  has  been  made  during  the  past  open  season, 
and  reports  show  that  deer  are  on  the  increase  in  many  sections. 


■    Twenty-five  to  fifty  persons  registered  daily  at  the  Tahoe  camp 
ground  this  past  season. 


The  new  Tahoe  Hatchery  constructed  at  Walker  Springs  at  the 
north  end  of  the  lake  has  been  completed  and  is  ready  for  occupancy. 


CALIFORNIA  FISH   AND  GAME. 


171 


HATCHERY  NOTES. 

W.  H.  SiiEBLEY,  Editor. 


TROUT  DIE   IN    BEAR   LAKE. 

As  is  the  case  in  most  dry  years,  there 
has  been  a  great  loss  of  fish  due  to  the 
drying  up  of  lalses  and  streams.  Stock- 
ing operations  in  many  streams  have  had 
to  be  suspended  this  year  because  the 
streams  were  absolutely  dry.  Anglers 
in  southern  California  have  been  justly 
disturbed  over  the  death  of  thousands  of 
fine  large  trout,  many  from  three  to  ten 
jwunds  in  weight,  in  Big  Bear  Lake  in 
the  San  Bernardino  Mountains.  What 
the  future  of  fishing  in  this  lake,  which 
has  heretofore  been  the  mecca  of  most 
of  the  anglers  of  Los  Angeles  and  nearby 
counties,  will  be,  remains  to  be  seen. 
Many  are  the  theories  advanced  as  to  the 
cause  underlying  the  destruction  of  fish. 
No  matter  what  the  immediate  cause, 
whether  bacteria  or  chemical  poisoning, 
(he  underlying  cause  is  doubtless  to  be 
found  in  the  dearth  of  water. 

SMALL    TAKE    OF    EGGS. 

Low  water  in  the  streams  where  spawn- 
ing operations  are  carried  on  has  pre- 
vented   a    large    take    of    eggs    for    the 


hatcheries.  In  many  instances  sf reams 
were  so  low  that  fish  were  unable  to 
proceed  up  stream  far  enough  to  reach 
the  spawning  station.  At  the  Snow 
Mountain  egg  collecting  station,  where 
a  large  take  of  steelhead  eggs  is  usually 
made  (from  4,000,000  to  G,O0O,OO)  less 
than  one-fourth  of  the  usual  take  was 
secu  red — 750,000. 

GOLDEN  TROUT  LACKS  HARDINESS 
OF  OTHER  TROUT. 

Although  golden  trout  eggs  are  being 
successfully  hatched  and  the  fry  reared 
in  our  hatcheries,  yet  the  adult  golden 
trout  appears  to  be  a  difiicult  one  to  keep 
in  breeding  x>onds.  Several  attempts  have 
been  made  to  keep  the  golden  trout  at 
the  Mount  Shasta  Hatchery  but  with- 
out success.  Golden  trout  exhibited  at 
the  State  Fair  at  Sacramento  last  Sep- 
tember were  moved  to  Sisson,  but  all 
died.  Just  why  this  species  should  suc- 
cumb while  others  thrive  is  a  mystery, 
as  shipments  from  Inyo  County  come 
through  in  good  condition  and  no  trouble 
is  experienced  in  keeping  them  in  aquaria 
at  the   State  Fair. 


Fig.   46.     A    fine    type    of    fish    ladder.     Inskip    Dam^    South    Butte    Creek,    Tehama 
County,   California.     Photograph  by  A.   E.    Culver. 


172 


CALIFORNIA  FISH  AND  GAME. 


THE    TAHOE    HATCHERY. 

The  new  Tahoe  Hatchery  is  now  com- 
pleted and  ready  for  occupancy.  It  has 
become  more  and  more  evident  for  several 
years  past  that  the  supply  of  water  at 
the  old  hatchery  site  was  entirely  in- 
adequate, and  several  years  a^  property 
ahoiit  one  mile  east  was  secured,  together 
with  the  water  rights  to  Walker  Springs. 
In  fact  the  site  secured  is  the  only  one 
available  at  the  present  time.  The  springs 
furnish  a  purer  and  colder  water  supply 
than  any  stream  flowing  into  the  lake. 
Furthermore,  a  supply  of  water  from 
springs  is  more  dependable  than  that 
from  a  stream,  in  that  there  is  less  danger 
of  lack  of  water  during  a  dry  season. 
The  new  hatchery  contains  sixty-four 
troughs  and  will  have  a  capacity  of  about 
two  and  a  half  million  trout.  Provision 
has  also  been  made  for  breeding  ponds 
and  nursery  ponds.  A  superintendent's 
cottage  is  being  built. 

This  new  hatchery  is  made  the  more 
necessary  because  of  the  lack  of  water 
at  the  Tallac  Hatchery  during  the  past 
few  years.  The  new  Tahoe  Hatchery  is 
of  sufficient  size  to  handle  practically  all 
of  the  black-spotted  trout   operations. 

The     old     hatchery     building     will     be 


utilized  as  a  laundry  and  community 
center  in  connection  with  the  camp 
ground. 

THE    OLD    AND    THE    NEW. 

In  18S-S  the  Mount  Shasta  Hatchery 
consisted  of  one  building,  forty  by  sixty 
feet,  containing  forty-four  troughs.  Its 
capacity  was  a  few  hundred  thousand 
trout  and  salmon.  At  the  present  time 
the  Mount  Shasta  Hatchery  comprises 
seventeen  acres  with  five  large  hatching 
houses  containing  450  troughs,  together 
with  superintendent's  cottages,  spawning 
house,  kitchen,  barn,  sheds  and  garage. 
Fiftj'  large  rearing  ponds  for  trout  and 
three  larger  ponds  for  salmon  complete 
the  equipment.  The  hatchery  output 
averages  more  than  10,000,000  trout  and 
salmon  per  year. 

FOOD   FOR  TROUT  INTRODUCED. 

The  Department  of  Fisliculturc  is  en- 
deavoring to  conserve  the  fish  supply  by 
introducing  new  trout  food  in  the  lakes 
of  the  southern  Sierra  and  Tahoe  basin. 
Insects,  such  as  salmon  flies ;  crustaceans, 
such  as  gamniarus:  and  aquatic  plants 
are  being  introduced. 


COMMERCIAL  FISHERY  NOTES. 

X.  B.  ScoFiELD,  Editor. 


THE  STATUS   OF  THE  TUNA. 

;  The  Fish  and  Game  Commission 
ii'eccntly  received  a  letter  from  one  of  our 
leading  sporting  magazines  calling  atten- 
ition  to  the  fact  that  a  seaplane  had  been 
'used  at  San  Pedro  in  locating  schools  of 
tuna.  They  also  sent  this  Commission  a 
letter  which  they  had  received  from  a 
Californian  protesting  against  this  "con- 
jtemptible  practice"  as  they  called  it,  and 
;Stating  that  the  "fish  canning  companies 
of  the  state  by  this  method  are  destroy- 
ing this  wonderful  Pacific  Coast  fish,  the 
tuna." 

As  this  is  the  kind  of  opposition  which 
i-[any     new     method     of     fishing     receives 
whether  it  is  actually  destructive  or  not, 
the  reply  made  is  appended  : 

The  tuna  has  been  recognized  as  a 
commercial  fish  for  many  years  in  Europe. 
The   only   reason    it   has   not   been   recog- 


nized as  a  commercial  fish  on  the  .Vtlantic 
and  I'acific  coa.sts  of  the  United  States 
is  because  we  have  not  appreciated  its 
value  as  a  food  fish.  So  far  the  tuna, 
which  we  call  here  the  blue-fin  or  leaping 
tuna  (I'lnniiius  tlninniia) ,  has  been  taken 
in  conimerci  il  (luantities  only  a  couple  of 
years,  and  we  are  quite  sure  that  the 
si)ecies  is  in  no  immediate  danger  of 
being  exterminated  or  of  being  seriously 
depleted. 

The  albncore.  wliich  the  United  States 
Bureau  of  FockI  and  Drugs  permits  our 
canuers  to  label  as  long-finned  tuna,  and 
which  is  the  whitemeat  tuna  found  in 
the  marki'ts,  Ins  been  taken  commercially 
in  large  quantities  for  the  last  seven  or 
eight  years.  The  albacore  is  taken  with 
hook  and  line  only  but  the  quantity  taken 
in  one  season  has  been  as  high  as  thirty 
million  jjounds,  or  six  times  the  weight 
of  bhie-fin  tuna  taken  in  any  one  year. 

This  Commission  has  been  employing 
fisheries  investigators  for  the  past  three 
years  to  make  a  thorough  investigation 
of  the  albacore  to  determine  if  it  was 
being  overfished  and  likely  to  become  seri- 


CALIFORNIA  PISH   AND  GAME. 


178 


ouslj'  depleted  in  numbers.  At  the  be- 
ginning of  this  investigation  three  j'ears 
ago,  there  was  available  accurate  data 
of  the  catch  for  three  years  preceding, 
so  that  now  we  have  had  six  years  accu- 
rate data  of  the  catch  upon  which  to  pass 
an  opinion  as  to  whether  it  is  being 
overfished.  The  evidence  is  quite  conclu- 
.sive  that  the  albacore  i.s  not  in  danger  of 
being  depleted  and  we  consider  that  it 
needs  no  protection  as  yet.  The  tuna 
which  is  mentioned  in  your  letter  is  a 
closely  related  fish  belonging  to  the  same 
genus  and  it  is  not  at  all  likely  that  it 
will  be  taken  in  large  enough  quantities 
to  seriously  deplete  the  supply  for  at 
least  several  years  to  come. 

This  state  is  collecting  accurate  data 
of  the  catch  of  each  commercial  species 
of  fish  and  this  data  shows  not  only  the 
total  catches  of  each  vai'iety  but  the 
catch  per  unit  of  fishing  gear.  By  means 
of  this  data  we  are  keeping  a  better  watch 
on  the  fisheries  than  is  any  other  state 
and  we  will  bo  able  to  detect  depletion 
of  any  species  before  such  depletion  has 
advanced  beyond  the  danger  point.  We 
are  not  taking  it  for  granted  that  the 
resources  of  the  sea  are  inexhaustible ;  we 
are  going  on  the  assumption  that  any 
species  may  be  exhiusted  if  we  catch  it 
in  large  enough  quantities.  We  are  watch- 
ing the  tuna  fisheries  as  well  as  our 
immense  sardine  fishery  very  carefully 
and  we  wish  to  assure  you  that  there  is 
no  cause  for  alarm  in  the  fact  that  an 
occasional  seaplane  is  used  to  locate 
schools  of  tuna. 

As  yet  there  is  no  demand  in  the 
markets  for  the  canned  blue-fin  tuna,  in 
fact,  there  is  not  the  demand  there  should 
be  and  it  is  not  likely  that  the  fishing 
for  Ijlue-fin  tuna  will  need  restricting 
until  the  public  do  come  to  appreciate  it 
as  a  valuable  food  product. 

We  do  not  consider  the  use  of  seaplanes 
in  locating  schools  of  fish  as  a  "con- 
temptible practice."  This  method  of  lo- 
cating fish  has  been  used  but  little  on 
this  coast.  On  the  Atlantic  coast,  as  you 
may  know,  the  United  States  Government, 
with  the  sanction  of  the  United  States 
Bureau  of  Fisheries,  is  aiding  the  fishing 
industries  to  locate  fish  by  this  means. 
Seaplanes  were  used  last  fall  at  San 
Diego  in  locating  schools  of  sardines. 
These  seaplanes  were  furnished  by  the 
United  States  Navy  and  had  the  sanc- 
tion and  assistance  of  the  State  Fish  and 
Game  Commission. 

BUREAU   CHIEF   INSPECTS  CALI- 
FORNIA   FISHERIES. 

Dr.  H.  F.  Moore,  Deputy  Commissioner 
of  Fisheries,  made  a  tour  of  inspection 
of  California  fisheries  and  the  United 
States  Bureau  of  Fisheries'  Preservation 
Laboratory  at  San  Pedro  during  Sep- 
tember on  his  return  from  the  Pan- 
Pacific    Science    Congress    at    Honolulu. 


This  is  Dr.  Moore's  first  visit  to  this 
coast  for  several  years.  A  full  week  was 
spent  on  a  survey  of  the  fisheries,  this 
being  occasioned  by  the  recent  rapid 
growth  of  our  fisheries  and  more  especi- 
ally by  the  fisheries  conservation  work 
now  being  done  by  the  State  Fish  and 
Game  Commission.  Dr.  Moore  has  ex- 
pressed himself  as  being  very  favorably 
impressed  with  the  conservation  work 
under  way  in  this  state. 

TUNA   FISHERIES   INVESTIGATED. 

A  recent  visitor  to  this  coast  is  Dr. 
Kamakichi  Kishinouye,  of  the  College  of 
Fisheries,  Tokyo  Imperial  University, 
Japan,  who  is  making  a  special  study 
of  the  comparative  anatomy  of  the 
Scombroid  fishes,  or  in  other  words,  the 
fishes  of  the  mackerel  family.  He  finds 
that  the  yellow-fin  and  the  blue-fin  tunas 
have  a  remarkable  set  of  blood'  vessels 
which  surround  the  liver  and  extend  into 
the  strip  of  dark  meat  along  the  side  of 
the  fish,  which  strip  is  so  noticeable  in 
the  fishes  of  the  mackerel  family.  The 
albacore,  or  long-finned  tuna,  does  not 
show  this  unusual  development,  at  least 
in  such  a  marked  degree. 

The  remarkable  part  of  this  is  that 
this  particular  arrangement  has  never 
been  described  by  anatomists  or  fish  in- 
vestigators. It  is  believed  to  have  some 
direct  bearing  on  the  fish's  ability  to  with- 
stand cold  water. 

Dr.  Kishinouye  is  spending  some  time 
in  southern  California  in  order  to  make 
a  study  of  this  structure  in  the  three 
species  of  tuna  found  in  those  waters,  i.e., 
blue-fin,  yellow-fin  and  long-fin  tuna.  He 
also  wishes  to  determine  if  these  three 
fish  are  of  the  same  species  as  those 
found  in  Japan.  He  suspects,  from  work 
he  has  already  done  on  the  anatomy  of 
these  fishes,  that  the  Japanese  blue-fin 
tuna  is  a  different  species  from  the  one 
found  in  the  Mediterranean  Sea.  Here- 
tofore these  two,  as  well  as  the  blue-fin 
tuna  found  in  California,  have  been  con- 
sidei'ed  the  same  species. 

In  Japan  the  blue-fin  and  3'ellow-fin 
tuna  are  caught  by  immense  trap  nets 
placed  rather  close  inshore.  The  long- 
finned  tuna,  or  albacore,  cannot  be  caught 
in  this  manner  as  they  do  not  approach 
the  shore,  living  only  in  quite  deep  water. 
The  albacore  is  taken  to  some  extent  in 


174 


CALIFORNIA  FISH   AND  GAME. 


gill  nets  but  the  principal  method  of 
catchiuj;:  is  by  the  use  of  long  lines,  sim- 
ilar to  the  Hues  used  by  the  California 
Fish  and  Game  Commission  in  its  ex- 
perimental fishing  for  albacore  in  south- 
ern California  waters  a  year  or  so  ago. 
They  have  found  this  the  most  successful 
way  of  catching  albacore  and  the  most 
economical.  The  principal  bait  used  is 
fresh  squid.  The  method  of  using  hand 
lines  and  lines  on  short  poles,  as  em- 
ployed in  California,  is  ased  only  to  a 
limited  extent  in  Japan.  It  is  his  idea 
that  the  use  of  the  short  poles,  which  is 
known  to  our  lishermcn  here  as  the  "Jap 
pole  method,"  is  only  successful  at  times 
when  the  albacore  are  very  plentiful.  The 
long  lines,  he  states,  are  most  successful 
in  catching  albacore  in  the  spring  and 
fall  of  the  year,  and  these  are  the  times 
when  the  albacore  catch  is  the  largest. 

1 1  limy  be  of  interest  to  note  here  that 
llic  cxperhnental  fishing  done  by  this  Coni- 
iiiissii>u  some  time  ago  demonstrated  the 
lad  that  by  the  use  of  lung  lines  the  alba- 
core may  be  taken  at  times  when  they 
are  not  feeding  at  the  surface  and  con- 
sequently cannot  be  taken  by  surface  fish- 
ing methods  such  as  the  use  of  short  hand 
lines  and  the  "Jap  pole  method."  The 
blue-fin  tuna  also  takes  the  long  line  and 
liDiiks  (|uite  freelj'. 

UNITED    STATES     BUREAU     OF     FISH- 
ERIES,   SAN    PEDRO    LABORATORY. 

'i'lie  work  of  the  United  States  Bureau 
of  Fisheries  Preservation  Laboratory  at 
San  Pedro  is  being  temporarily  continued 
by  the  Fish  and  Game  Commission  until 
funds  can  be  obtained  by  the  Bureau. 
There  is  hope  that  'he  bureau  will  get  an 
approi)riation  which  will  enable  it  to  con- 
tinue the  laboratory  from  the  first  of 
January  and  to  reimburse  the  state  for 
what  it  has  spent;  although  this  last, 
while  possible,  is  hardly  probable.  The 
bureau  continues  virtually  to  direct  the 
work  although  the  state,  in  order  to  get 
due  credit,  appears  as  the  operator  and 
will  publish  the  preliminary  reports  of  the 
work.  The  Commis.siou  entered  into  this 
arrangement  believing  that  by  so  doing 
it  would  aid  in  the  expansion  of  our 
fisheries  and  would  prevent  the  almost 
total  loss  of  the  laboratory's  preceding 
year's  work.  It  was  believed  tliat  by  so 
doing  the  fish  canners  of  the  state  would 


be  pleased  and  all  others  interested  in 
the  wellfare  and  development  of  the  fish- 
ing industry. 

In  helping  to  this  extent  there  was  the 
desire  to  aid  a  federal  bureau  which  stands 
for  the  development  and  conservation  of 
the  fisheries  as  does  no  other  bureau — a 
bureau  which  for  many  years  has  carried 
on  fisheries  conservation  work  in  this 
state  and  which  it  is  hoped  will  continue 
to  carry  on  in  the  future. 

The  lalwratory,  a  year  ago,  undertook 
fish  canning  exjieriments  which  for  gooil 
and  sufficient  reasons  were  scheduled  to 
continue  over  a  period  of  two  years  before 
their  completion.  It  was  necessary  to 
continue  this  work  for  the  bureau  in  order 
to  tide  it  over  a  tem]>urary  financial  de- 
pression and  tliu>^  preserve  to  the  state 
the  bureau's  wcll-ciiuipiicd  laboratory  and 
till'  liiireau's  inclination  to  continue 
this  \iiin;ibli'  liiii'  of  research  work.  If 
we  had  not  done  so  the  years'  woj-k  would 
have  been  lost  as  well  as  the  .t;-_MMi<M> 
already  <'Xpen(led. 

The  United  Slatt-s  P.nreau  of  Clii'inistry 
has  estal)lislic(l  a  laboratory  at  San  Diego 
for  work  similar  to  that  which  is  being 
done  in  the  preservation  laboratory  of 
the  United  States  Bureau  of  Fisheries  at 
San  I'edro.  'J'hcre  is  plenty  of  work  for 
both  laboratories  and  each  should  ri'ceive 
encouragement.  The  Commission  i.s  doing 
all  it  can  to  prevent  duplication  of  work 
by  the  two  bureaus  and  to  bring  about  a 
correlation  of  their  activities.  Mr.  Almy, 
who  will  supervise  the  work  of  the  lab- 
oratory of  the  Bureau  of  Chemistry,  and 
Dr.  Alsburg,  head  of  the  bureau,  have 
assured  the  Commission  that  they  desii'e 
to  cooperate  to  a  sufficient  extent  to  nvoid 
unnecessary  duplication   of  work. 

OCTOPUS    FISHING    IN    JAPAN. 

Recently  several  octopi  were  brought 
into  the  San  Francisco  markets  which 
had  been  caught  by  the  local  rockcod 
fishermen  on  rockcotl  gear.  In  a  recent 
visit  from  Dr.  Kamakichi  Kishinouye  of 
the  Tokyo  Imperial  University,  Japan, 
some  very  interesting  information  con- 
cerning the  methods  used  in  fishing  for 
octopus  in  Japan  was  gained. 

One  method  used  is  as  follows  :  Long 
lines  are  let  down  to  which  are  attached 
earthen w^a re  pots  or  vases  of  the  right 
size  to  accommodate  the  octopus  for  which 


CALIFORNIA  FISH   AND  GAME. 


175 


they  are  fishing — we  should  judge  these 
pots  would  average  1*  to  2i  feet  deep 
and  from  8  to  14  inches  in  diameter. 
Some  of  these  pots  are  suspended  with  the 
mouth  down,  others  suspended  with  the 
mouth  up  from  the  long  horizontal  line. 
Each  pot  has  a  small  hole  in  the  bottom 
to  let  the  water  easily  escape  when  the 
pots  are  raised.  The  pots  are  not  baited, 
and  since  it  is  the  habit  of  the  octopus 
to  find  a  hiding  place  in  the  rocks,  they 
crawl  into  the  mouth  of  the  pot  and  re- 
main there  until  they  are  pulled  out.  The 
pots  are  set  one  day  and  pulled  the  next ; 
one  boat  will  handle  about  200  pots. 
Ordinarily  buoy  floats  are  not  used  to 
locate  the  lines  but  they  are  picked  up 
with  a  grappling  hook,  for  it  is  believed 
•that  the  floating  buoy  disturbs  the  pots 
and  prevents  the  octopus  from  entering. 
Thej'  are  also  caught  by  means  of  hook 
and  line.  In .  this  method  the  fisherman 
baits  the  hooks,  several  of  them  on  a  long 
line,  and  when  they  have  lowered  them 
until  they  come  in  contact  with  rocks, 
they  contiinually  jerk  the  lines.  The 
octopus,  in  feeding,  i-eache^  out  its  arms 
to  get  the  bait  with  its  sucking  discs  and 
the  jerking  of  the  hooks  catches  the  arms 
or  tentacles. 

SILVER    SALMON    AT    MONTEREY 
IN    1920. 

Since  the  last  two  seasons  in  California 
have  shown  relatively  poor  catches  of  king 
or  Chinook  salmon  there  is  an  increased 
interest  among  fishennen  and  packers  in 
the  other  possible  species  of  salmon  that 
might  serve  to  fill  in  the  breach,  especially 
during  bad  years.  The  most  abundant 
of  the  lesser  species  is  the  silver  salmon, 
a  fish  of  lower  oil  content  than  the  king 
and  therefore  less  desirable  for  canning, 
althoug-h  it  sells  readily  on  the  fresh 
markets.  Along  our  northern  coast  it 
forms  a  large  per  cent  of  the  salmon 
catch.  The  southern  boundary  of  com- 
mercial salmon  fishing  (Monterey)  seems 
to  be  almost  out  of  the  range  of  the  silver 
salmon.  The  salmon  investigation  now 
being  conducted  by  the  Commission  has 
gathered  some  information  as  to  the  rel- 
ative abundance  of  the  two  principal 
species  and  from  time  to  time  further 
notes  on  their  occurance,  seasons,  abund- 
ance and  worth  on  the  markets  will  be 
published. 

In  a  recent  number  of  California  Fish 


and  Game  (Oct.  1919)  it  was  noted  that 
the  silver  salmon  in  1919  did  not  appear 
at  Monterey,  just  for  a  few  days,  but  that 
thoy  were  caught  in  small  numbers  over  a 
period  of  eleven  weeks  with  a  heavy  catch 
ou  four  or  five  days  during  the  period. 
Detailed  notes  were  kept  in  the  1920 
season's  run  in  Monterey  Bay  and  it  was 
found  that  the  appearance  of  silver  salmon 
in  small  numbers  extended  over  a  longer 
period  this  year  and  that  they  were  not 
caught  in  great  numbers  during  any  four 
or  five  consecutive   days  as   was   true  in 

1919.  At  no  time  this  year  did  they  out- 
numljer  the  king  salmon.  In  1919  the 
first  silver  salmon  was  noted  on  May  10, 
while  in  1920  the  first  was  caught  on 
April  19.    During  the  remainder  of  April, 

1920,  a  few  were  caught  each  day  averag- 
ing between  four  and  five  pounds  apiece. 
For  instance,  on  April  23,  the  silvers 
made  up  4.4  per  cent  of  the  catch  in 
number  of  fish  and  1.0  per  cent  in  weight, 
the  rest  of  the  catch  being  kings.  During 
May  there  were  very  few  silvers  caught 
at  Monterey,  but  on  June  1,  they  formed 
about  one-fifth  of  the  catch.  On  June  2, 
the  silvers  were  IS  per  cent  in  number 
and  8.2  per  cent  in  weight  of  the  catch 
and  averaged  a  little  less  than  7  pounds 
apiece.  June  3,  and  4,  the  silver  catch 
was  somewhat  less  and  from  the  fifth  to 
thirteenth  of  June  there  were  only  a  few 
silvers  caught.  On  June  14,  the  silvers 
picked  up  to  15.3  per  cent  in  number  of 
fish  and  7.7  per  cent  in  weight  in  the 
catch.  By  June  17  they  were  24.2  per 
cent  in  number  and  17.5  per  cent  in 
weight  in  the  catch  and  averaged  7.S 
pounds  each.  From  June  IS  to  21,  the 
silvers  averaged  about  7.9  pounds  but  the 
per  cent  in  the  catch  dropped  off.  On  June 
22,  the  silvers  in  the  catch  were  19  per 
cent  in  number  of  fish  and  8.8  per  cent 
in  weight  with  an  average  weight  of  7^ 
pounds  and  the  average  weight  dropped 
to  7  pounds  for  the  following  week.  By 
this  time  the  king  salmon  season  was 
about  over  so  that  the  silver  salmon 
caught,  although  few  in  number,  formed 
a  relatively  higher  proportion  of  the  catch. 
For  example,  on  June  24,  the  silvers  in 
the  catch  were  33  per  cent  in  number  and 
22.8  per  cent  by  weight.  June  25,  the  per 
cent  of  silvers  dropped  to  IS  and  from 
then  on  for  the  remainder  of  the  season 
there  was  only  an  occasional  silver  salmon 
caught.  W.  L.  S. 


176 


CALIFORNIA  PISH   AND  GAME. 


OCEAN    AND    STREAM    SALMON 
CATCHES. 

Frequently  the  question  is  raised  as  to 
the  relative  imiwrtance  of  trolling  and 
stream  netting:  for  salmon  in  California 
so  that  a  summary  of  the  figures  of  total 
salmon  catch  may  be  of  general  interest. 
The  1920  figures  are  not  yet  complete. 
The  following  figures,  in  round  numbers, 
represent  yearly  total  salmon  catch  of  the 
state  in  pounds  of  fish  in  the  round. 

River  caught.  Ocean  caught.  Season  total. 

1919__.    5,087.01)0  7.1.58,000  1.3,145,000 

1918—   7,178.(100  5.920,000  13,09.3,000 

1917 5,493.0011  :j.5(;3,000  11,050,000 

1916___   5,342,000  5.501.000  10,843,000 

There  are  three  chief  trolling  regions : 
(1)  'Shelter  Cove,  (2)  vicinity  of  San 
Francisco,  (3)  Monterey  Bay.  The  two 
chief  netting  regions  are  the  Sacramento 
river  and  the  northern  coast  streams  such 
as  the  Eel,  Klamath,  and  Smith  rivers. 
The  1019  salmon  catches  for  these  regions 
expressed  in  percentage  of  the  total  catch 
of  the  state  are  as  follows  : 

Kegion.  Per  cent 

Ocean — 

Shelter   Cove 22 

San   Frant'isco 11 

Monterey   Bay 22  55 

Stream — 

Sacramento  River 35 

Northein   Rivers 10  45 

100        100 

The  salmon  caught  at  Monterey,  out- 
side San  Francisco,  and  in  the  Sac- 
ramento River  are  generally  classed 
together  as  a  unit  since  it  is  assumed 
that  they  result  from  spawning  in  the  Sac- 
ramento. At  present  a  possible  restriction 
of  the  trolling  and  netting  of  salmon  is 
being  discussed.  A  contrast  in  the  catch 
by  these  two  methods  is  shown  by  the 
following  table  of  catch  in  round  numbers 
of  pounds : 

(Taken  with 
nets) 
Mont.  Bay.  Outside  S.  F.  Troll  M\.  Sae.  Kiver. 
1919_  2,810,000  1,443.000  4,259,000  4,529,000 
1918-  2,893,000  1,929,000  4,822,000  5,938,000 
1917_  3,880,000  1,280.000  5,100,000  3,971,000 
1916.   5,231,000        263,000     5,494,000     3,451,000 

There  are  changes  from  year  to  year 
in  the  importance  of  the  salmon  fishery  of 


any  one  locality.  For  example,  the  catch  at 
Monterey  has  dropped  off  while  the  Noyo- 
Shelter  Cove  caU-h  has  been  steadily  in- 
creasing due  to  the  recent  development 
of  the  industry  at  those  northern  trolling 
points.  In  1917  the  total  from  the  Noyo- 
Shelter  Cove  region  was  less  than  a  half 
million  pounds,  in  1918  over  one  million 
and  in  1919  only  a  little  less  than  three 
million  pounds.  A  minor  item  of  interest 
is  that  each  year  a  few  salmon  are  caught 
by  trolling  and  netting  along  the  coast 
of  the  southern  counties  far  to  the  south 
of  Monterey.  Last  year  10  pounds  were 
reported,  in  1918  one  thousand  and  in 
1917,  2000  pounds.  W.  L.  S. 

THE  SALMON  SEASON  AT  MONTEREY. 

The  Monterey  salmon  season  of  1920 
was  even  i>oorer  than  last  year.  The 
catch  is  roughly  estimated  at  one-fourth 
of  the  normal  or  about  one-half  of  last 
year's  catch.  In  round  numbers  the 
Monterey  catch  (exclusive  of  Santa  Cruz) 
was  1,290,000  pounds,  this  year  as  op- 
posed to  2,:J1 0,000  pounds  in  1919.  The 
early  season's  .catch  this  year  was  better 
than  a  year  ago,  but  there  was  not  the 
customary  large  run  during  the  latter 
half  of  May  and  the  first  two  or  three 
weeks  of  June.  The  season  practically 
ended  in  June,  but  there  was  a  small 
catch  on  two  or  three  days  near  the  end 
of  July.  The  local  trolling  fleet  was 
about  quadrupled  by  the  addition  of  boats 
from  northern  points,  but  the  poor  catch 
was  so  discouraging  that  many  fishermen 
returned  to  San  Francisco  during  the 
middle  of  the  season. 

In  spite  of  the  fact  that  each  year  has 
seen  a  steadily  increasing  number  of  boats 
trolling  for  salmon  in  Monterey  Bay,  the 
yearly  catch  has  been  dropping  off,  as 
shown  by  the  following  figures,  in  round 
numbers,  of  pounds  of  salmon  caught  in 
the  bay. 

1919.  1918.  1917.  1916. 

2,816,000       2,893,000      3,879,000      5,231,000 

As  stated  above,  the  1920  catch  is  little 
more  than  half  that  of  1919. 

W.  L.    S. 


CALIFORNIA  FISH  AND  GAME. 


177 


NOTES  FROM  THE  STATE  FISHERIES  LABORATORY/' 


WiLf,    F.    Tiio.Mrsox,    Editor. 


THE     FISHERIES     LABORATORY     AND 
ITS   WORK. 

At  the  time  these  notes  go  to  the 
editor,  considerable  progress  has  been 
made  toward  the  establisimient  of  a  per- 
manent laboratoi-y  building  for  our  work. 
The  most  encouraging  advance  in  that 
direction  has  been  the  granting  by  the 
city  of  Los  Angeles  to  the  Fish  and  Game 
Commission  of  a  long-term  lease  to  a 
site  at  Fish  Harbor,  San  Pedro.  It  is 
situated  at  the  intersection  of  Seaside 
avenue  and  Tuna  street,  and  will  be  most 
accessible  to  all  canners  and  fishermen 
who  may  be  interested. 

A  description  of  the  site  and  the  dis- 
cussion of  the  plans  for  the  building,  of 
which  rough  sketches  are  at  hand,  may 
await  the  time  when  the  plans  are  in 
finished  condition,  but  it  will  be  well  to 
state  now  as  clearly  as  possible  those 
ideals  to  which  the  Commission  is  plan- 
ning to  dedicate  a  unique  institution. 
Such  a  statement  may  save  misunder- 
standing and  opposition,  and  should  give 
to  those  interested  an  appreciation  of  the 
underlj'ing  purposes  such  as  will  enable 
them  to  comprehend  the  reasons  for  the 
choice  of  site  and  for  the  plans  adopted. 
The  site  was  chosen  because  of  its 
proximity  to  the  canneries  and  the  fish 
wharves,  making  it  possible  to  follow  easily 
the  progress  of  the  fishery.  The  plans 
adopted  are  intended  to  give  good  working 
room  for  a  statistical  and  biological  study 
of  tlie  fisheries  for  the  purpose  of  con- 
servation and  adequate  utilization  and  at 
the  same  time  to  allow  an  exhibit  to 
those  interested  of  the  purposes  of  the 
work  and  its  relation  to  the  fisheries. 

That  the  primary  purposes  of  the  in- 
vestigations of  the  California  Fish  and 
Game  Commission  are  conservation  and 
adequate  utilization  has  been  stated  many 
times.  But  such  purposes  have  been  re- 
peatedly avowed  by  investigators,  whose 
programs  when  adopted  have  betrayed  a 
primary  interest  in  general  natural  his- 
tory, and  have  shown  little  relationship 
to  the  problems  to  be  solved.  The  scien- 
tific   program    of    the    Commission    has. 


♦California   State   Fisheries   Laboratory, 
Contribution   No.   21. 


however,  been  planned  very  .specifically  to 
meet  the  problems  which  are  involved  in 
governmental  control  of  the  fisheries,  and 
are  adapted  to  meet  the  responsibilities 
of  the  state  as  legal  guardian  of  those 
natural  resources.  The  machinery  for  the 
execution  of  this  program  is,  in  fact,  al- 
ready operating  in  part,  and  its  purposes 
are  stated  very  clearly  in  the  laws  of  the 
state  as  duties  of  the  Commission.  Sec- 
tion 1  of  the  particular  law  referred  to 
is  as  follows : 

"It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Fish  and 
Game  Commission  to  gather  data  of  the 
commercial  fisheries  and  to  prepare  the 
data  so  as  to  show  the  real  abundance 
of  the  most  important  commercial  fishes ; 
to  make  such  investigations  of  the  biology 
of  the  various  species  of  fish  as  will  guide 
in  the  collection  and  preparation  of  the 
statistical  information  necessary  to  de- 
termine evidence  of  overfishing ;  to  make 
such  investigations  as  will  bring  to  light 
as  soon  as  possible  those  evidences  of 
overfishing  as  are  shown  by  changes  in 
the  age  groups  of  any  variety  of  fish ; 
to  determine  what  measux'es  may  be  ad- 
visable to  conserve  any  fishery,  or  to 
enlarge  and  assist  any  fishery  where  that 
may  be  done  without  danger  to  the 
supply." 

The  law  then  goes  on  to  make  pro- 
visions for  the  statistical  system  now  in 
use  as  one  of  the  bases  for  the  scien- 
tific work.  This  system  is  to  the  best  of 
our  knowledge  one  without  parallel  in  any 
country,  and  it  has  already  proved  itself 
superior  to  any  statistical  system  we  are 
acquainted  with.  It  registers  the  catch 
of  every  boat,  leaving  its  record  for  sub- 
sequent study  by  scientists  in  conjunction 
with  other  records  by  which  changes  in 
apparatus  and  economic  conditions  may 
be  discounted,  in  order  that  there  may  be 
obtained  a  measure  of  the  fluctuations  in 
abundance  of  fish  from  year  to  year.  It 
will  be  inevitable,  in  the  future,  that  any 
scientific  pi'ogram  carried  on  by  the  pos- 
sessors of  such  complete  records  as  by 
this  law  we  shall  eventually  have,  will  be 
a  program  designed  to  discover  the  mean- 
ing of  such  records  in  terms  of  abundance 
and  scarcity  of  fish.  That  there  are 
faults  in  the  system  must  be  granted, 
but  the  faults  are  infinitesimal  compared 
to  those  of  statistical  systems  depending 


178 


CALIFORNIA  FISH   AND  GAME. 


u|ioa  csliuiaU's  and  hearsay.  The  lab- 
oratory will  provide  for  the  filing  and  the 
stndy  of  those  records. 

But  this  statistical  work  is  only  a  part 
of  the  program,  and  in  foniiulating  both 
this  and  the  biological,  which  is  in  a  way 
the  more  important,  the  Commission  has 
had  before  it  the  several  programs  adojitod 
during  the  last  two  decades  in  other 
countries,  notably  in  those  bordering  the 
North  Sea  and  our  North  Pacific,  and 
from  these  programs  and  their  results  it 
has  been  possible  to  decide  within  some- 
what narrow  limits  what  knowledge  is 
necossarj'  to  competently  legislate  for  our 
fisheries.  The  failures  and  successes  of 
others  during  the  recent  great  advances 
in  fishery  science  have  profited  us.  And 
in  this  fact  is  seen  the  reason  why  the 
program  for  the  proposed  laboratory  will 
be  a  really  vital  one,  dealing  with  questions 
irhicli  (icfiiaUy  face  the  legislator  and 
till  nil  II  interested  eoinmcYcialJi/.  It  will 
hick  the  vagueness  of  random  natural 
history  investigations,  and  it  will  avoid 
the  limitiitiou  in  value  of  technological 
research.  In  the  future  we  may  justifiably 
hope  that  the  investigations  carried  on 
in  the  new  laboratory  will  further  define 
and  clarify  the  many  problems  to  be  met 
with. 

And  in  thus  reviewing  the  work  in 
(►thor  fields  perhaps  the  most  obvious  fact 
has  been  the  absolute  necessity  of  access 
to  the  vast  store  of  specimens  and  data  to 
I>e  furnished  by  the  commercial  fisheries. 
No  agency  could  afford  to  duplicate  this 
store,  despite  its  vital  importance  to  any 
investigations.  And  this  has,  in  fact, 
determinod  the  location  of  the  laboratory 
and  dominated  in  the  construction  of  its 
lilans.  Another  obvious  conclusion  to  be 
drawn  from  the  work  of  others  has  been 
(he  necessity  of  obtaining  popular  sup- 
port by  exhibiting  to  tliose  interested  the 
puri^oses  of  the  work,  and  its  achieve- 
ments, as  well  a.s  b.v  showing  graphically 
the  necessity  for  it.  Because  of  this  there 
has  been  planned  an  exhibit  room. 

The  great  scientific  value  of  this  work 
may  not  be  immediately  obvious  to  tlie 
scientist  who  is  interested  in  some  of  the 
more  basic  laws  of  biology.  It  may  ap- 
liear  too  practical.  Yet  this  definition  of 
aim,  and  practical  trend  actually  heightens 
the  value  of  the  work  from  the  stand- 
point  of   general   science.     The   problems 


faced  by  the  legislator  are,  in  striking 
degree,  the  same  as  those  in  which  the 
student  of  geograi)hical  distribution,  and 
of  evolution  is  or  should  be  interested, 
and  the  material  offered  by  the  commercial 
fisheries  far  exceeds  in  extent  that  which 
can  be  obtained  through  other  sources. 
The  degree  of  isolation  of  different  races 
and  the  extent  to  which  it  leaves  its  traces 
on  the  moiijhology  or  habits  of  the  species 
is  of  great  importance  to  one  pondering  the 
value  of  protection  to  a  species  over- 
fished in  a  particular  locality,  just  as  it 
is  to  the  man  interested  in  the  formation 
of  races  and  species.  The  rapidity  of 
growth,  the  distribution  of  pelagic  ova  or 
larvae  by  currents,  the  response  of  the 
species  to  changes  in  surrounding  condi- 
tions, all  affect  both  the  conclusions  of 
the  naturalist  and  those  to  whom  the 
apparent  abundance  of  fish  is  vitally  im- 
portant. Above  all,  however,  our  pro- 
gram will  be  most  vital  to  the  progress 
of  hydrographical  science  in  its  relation 
to  the  food  supply  of  man,  through  what 
is  in  reality  the  most  essential  purpose  of 
our  work — the  measurement  of  the  actual 
abundance  of  fish  in  the  ocean.  The  effect 
of  hydrographical  conditions  on  fish  can 
not  be  measured  without  a  knowledge  of 
the  real  abundance  of  fish,  of  the  rate  of 
growth,  and  the  habits.  So.  in  addition 
to  being  dedicated  to  the  service  of  com- 
petent legislation  for  conservation  and 
utilization,  the  laboratory  will  be  in  a 
very  real  way  an  essential  part  in  the 
progress  of  more  general  scientific  knowl- 
edge. W.  F.  T. 

PROGRESS  OF  THE  ALBACORE  WORK. 

During  the  )>ast  summer  Mr.  Thompson 
has  been  pursuing  in  so  far  as  possible 
the  study  of  the  albacore,  with  particular 
reference  to  its  age  and  rate  of  growth. 
Mr.  Rich  and  Mr.  Sette  have  been  sta- 
tioned since  June  at  San  Diego  and  San 
Pedro  for  the  purpose  of  collecting  for 
Mr.  Thompson  certain  measurements  and 
statistics  bearing  on  the  various  problems. 

The  study  of  the  age  has  progressed  to 
a  point  where  the  results  are  being  pre- 
pared for  publication.  The  age  marks  on 
the  scales  being  illegible  save  in  part,  a 
special  techni(iue  was  necessary  in  order 
to  decipher  them.  This  was  the  more 
necessary  in  that  serious  questions  have 
arisen  in  some  quarters  regarding  the  ac- 


CALIFORNIA  FISH   AND  GAME. 


179 


curacy  aud  care  with  which  age  readings 
have  been  made  in  the  cases  of  other 
species — and  indeed,  well-known  biologisits 
have  openly  challenged  the  fact  that  scales 
and  otoliths  actually  do  show  age.  The 
work  on  the  age  of  the  albacore  has  dem- 
onstrated clearly  and  unmistakably  the 
absolute  correspondence  of  the  actual  age 
of  the  fish  and  the  marks  on  the  scales 
by  a  method  entirely  free  from  the  in- 
fluence of  the  worker's  personal  judgment. 
Painstaking  and  time-consuming  as  the 
work  has  been,  it  has  proved  entirely 
worth  while,  and  is  the  first  direct  knowl- 
edge we  have  of  the  age  of  any  of  the 
species  of  the  mackerel  family  on  this 
coast. 

These  results  show  the  albacore  to  be 
a  fast  growing  species,  with  all  that  im- 
plies regarding  the  effect  of  commercial 
fisheries  upon  it.  Their  discussion  must 
await  the  final  publication.  But  atten- 
tion may  be  called  to  the  fact  that  with 
their  aid  conclusions  have  been  tentatively 
reached  regarding  the  migration  of  the 
albacore.  It  is  believed  that  the  species 
shows  a  gradual  migration  to  the  north- 
ward through  a  period  of  years,  but  that 
the  migration  of  any  one  year  class  is  in 
general  limited.  The  seasonal  migrations 
are  the  most  prominent  and  striking. 

The  summer's  work  has  also  continued 
to  add  to  our  material  bearing  on  the 
migrations  and  the  fluctuations  in  the 
run  of  fish  and  on  the  relationship  of 
catch  to  temperature  or  some  allied  factor, 
thereby  placing  certain  facts  beyond  dis- 
pute. These  can  not  be  treated  vei'y  fully 
here,  and  it  is  hoped  that  as  soon  as  the 
work  on  the  age  is  out  of  the  way,  atten- 
tion may  be  turned  to  these  data,  which 
will,  it  is  believed,  prove  highly  interest- 
ing. The  data  at  hand  are  "exceedingly 
extensive,  perhaps  more  so  than  the  data 
available  for  any  other  fishery,  as  the 
records  for  the  whole  industry  from  its 
beginning  have  been  collected.  The  re- 
sults are  already  well  defined,  but  remain 
to  be  placed  in  shape  for  publication. 

It  will  be  recalled  that  we  have  ana- 
lyzed the  relative  abundance  of  fish  dur- 
ing past  years  (see  Pacific  Fisherman 
Year  Book,  1919)  and  found  a  steady 
fall  in  the  catch  of  the  same  unit  of  gear 
from  year  to  year.  We  ventured  to  say, 
however,  that  this  fall  was  not,  judging 
from  various  things,  due  to  depletion,  and 
the  events  of  this  summer  have  reassured 


us  in  this  regard.  The  catch  has  shown 
an  increase  and  the  reappearance  of 
younger  classes  of  fish,  both  encouraging 
signs.  The  possibility  that  overfishing 
may    occur    is    not,    however,    eliminated. 

W.  F.  T. 

PROGRESS  OF  THE  CLAM   WORK. 

Since  April,  1919,  F.  W.  Weymouth  has 
been  devoting  a  portion  of  his  time  to 
the  completion  of  a  survey  of  the  shell- 
fish of  the  California  coast  commenced 
several  years  previously  by  Will  F. 
Thompson.  A  report  is  now  ready  for 
the  press  embodying  all  the  collected  data. 
The  primary  purpose  of  the  survey  has 
been  to  put  on  record  the  number  and 
abundance  of  the  species  of  commercial 
importance  and  the  location  and  condi- 
tion of  the  beds  at  present  being  utilized. 
The  scope  of  the  report  has  been  extended 
by  the  inclusion  of  descriptions  and 
figures,  together  with  a  key  for  ready 
identification  of  some  forty  species  of 
present  or  possible  commercial  value. 
Heretofore  no  such  key  has  been  avail- 
able, and  it  is  hoped  that  by  this  publica- 
tion, campers  and  amateur  clam  diggers 
can  be  made  acquainted  with  the  edible 
bivalves  of  the  coast.  Besides  the  de- 
scription and  range  of  each  species  an 
account  of  its  habits  has  been  included. 
Though  many  collections  of  attractive  and 
interesting  "shells"  have  been  made,  there 
are  few  observations  on  the  varied  habits 
of  these  animals  and  it  is  hoped  that 
those  recorded  in  this  report  may  lead  to 
more  study  of  the  remarkable  ways  in 
which  the  bivalves  are  adapted  to  the 
diverse  conditions  of  life  under  which  they 
are  found. 

In  connection  with  this  survey  certain 
important  points  have  developed.  One  is 
the  need  for  a  more  detailed  study  of  the 
life  history  of  at  least  some  of  the  more 
representative  and  important  species.  At 
present,  though  several  of  the  eastern 
species  have  been  oai'efully  investigated, 
no  facts  concerning  the  age  or  rate  of 
growth  of  a  single  native  Pacific  species 
are  known. 

In  an  attempt  to  remedy  this  lack, 
data  have  been  collected  throughout  the 
year  on  the  Pismo  clam,  one  of  the  most 
important  California  species,  and  these 
are  now  being  carefully  studied.  The 
preliminary  work  indicates  the  main 
features  of  the  age  and  as  soon  as  it  can 


180 


CALIFORNIA  FISH  AND  GAME. 


be  completed  it  will  be  put  in  form  for 
publication.  It  appeal's  that  the  growth 
is  less  rapid  than  has  been  supposed  and 
that  a  considerable  age  is  reached  by  the 
larger  specimens   met   witli. 

A  careful  survey  of  the  coast  has  forced 
the  conclusion  that  feiv  of  the  native 
species  can  be  matcriallj'  increased  by 
artificial  means,  but  that  in  certain  si'"t- 
ablc  ba\s  the  "farmiiia"  of  the  introduced 
soft  shell  or  long  cliumuight  be  made  very 
profitable.  Its  culture  has  passed  the 
experimental  state  on  the  eastern  coast 
and  profiting  by  this  experience  many 
acres  of  otherwise  barren  tide  flats  might 
be  made  to  yield  as  sure  and  valuable  a 
crop  as  a  wheat  field.  It  is  hoped  that  in 
the  future  the  question  of  the  control  of 
suitable  tide  lands  may  be  put  on  as  secure 
a  basis  as  is  the  management  of  existing 
oyster  lands,  thus  making  such  clam 
farming  a  practical  possibility. 

F.  W.  W. 

PROGRESS    OF    THE    SARDINE    WORK. 

The  investigation  of  the  sardine  fishery 
is  being  continued  along  lines  laid  down 
in  previous  publications  in  this  magazine; 
(Volume  6,  No.  1,  pp.  10-1_2),  and  in 
Fish  Bulletin  No.  2.  Mr.  Elmer  Iliggins 
has,  during  the  nast  season,  been  mad^ 
responsible  for  the  caiTying  out  of  the 
program  at  San  Pedro,  while  Mr.  O.  E. 
Sette  has  been,  until  this  last  June,  re- 
sponsible for  the  same  at  Monterey,  both 
under  the  direction  of  Mr.  W.  F.  Thomp- 
son for  the  present.  Mr.  Sette,  who  is 
leaving  this  fall  for  a  resumption  of  his 
collie  work,  will  continue  his  sardine 
work  while  at  college.  The  principal  at- 
tention of  both  of  these  workers  has  been 
concentrated  on  the  discovery  of  the  rate 
of  growth  through  a  study  of  the  fre- 
quency of  occurence  of  various  sizes  of 
fish,  and  the  following  of  fluctuations  in 
average  size,  sex,  maturity,  quality,  etc., 
during  the  fishing  season.  In  view  of  the 
importance  of  the  sardine  industrj',  some- 
what more  attention  is  given  to  an  ex- 
position of  this  work  than  is  the  case 
with  the  other  fisheries  with  which  we 
are  dealing. 

The  program  under  which  the  work  has 
been  done  contemplates  (1)  the  discovery 
of  depletion  if  it  should  occur;  (2)  the 
discovery  of  any  great  natural  fluctua- 
tions in  abundance  or  quality  other  than 
those   due   to   overfishing;    (3)    the   fore- 


telling of  these  fluctuations,  which  in  other 
fisheries  have  at  times  caused  great  dam- 
age;  (4)  the  deciphering  of  those  habits 
of  the  species  which  are  of  importance  to 
the  canner  and  fisherman,  such  as  migra- 
tion, and  (5)  a  knowledge  of  such  facts 
as  will  aid  the  legislator.  The  absolute 
completion  of  this  pn^rara  is  without 
doubt  well  removed,  but  contributions  to 
it  of  great  value  will  be  made  in  the  very 
near  future,  enabling  us  to  make  at  least 
provisional  answers,  a  thing  impossible 
now.  Among  these  we  may  list  the  age 
and  rate  of  growth,  the  breeding  season, 
and  the  degree  of  independence  of  the 
sardines  in  different  regions.  That  the 
fcM'ctelling  uf  liucluations  is  not  visionary 
may  be  seen  from  the  work  of  the  Nor- 
wegian fishci-j'  authorities  on  the  herring. 
The  other  elements  of  the  outline  given 
are  dependent  entirely  upon  the  records 
we  obtain — and  we  are  acquiring  the  very 
best  possible. 

A  certain  amount  of  preliminary  work 
had  been  done  by  Mr.  W.  F.  Thompson, 
assisted  by  A.  W.  Warnock  and  others 
before  the  inauguration  of  the  present  in- 
vestigations a  year  ago.  In  this  prelimin- 
ary work  the  breeding  season  had  been 
observed  at  San  Pedro  (as  mentioned  by 
Mr.  Higgins  below),  a  series  of  scales 
collected  for  the  study  of  the  age,  and  a 
set  of  careful  observations  made  on  the 
differences  between  the  sardines  fi'om  San 
Diego,  San  Pedro  and  Monterey.  The 
latter  observations,  as  bearing  on  the  pas- 
sibility  of  the  interdependence  of  the 
sardines  in  different  regions,  have  been 
completed  by  Mr.  Higgins  in  addition  to 
his  own  work  and  reports  on  the  con- 
clusions may  be  expected  in  the  near 
future. 

PRESENT    STATUS    OF    THE    SARDINE 

INVESTIGATION    IN    THE 

SAN   PEDRO   DISTRICT. 

In  the  study  of  the  sardine  fishery,  as 
distinct  from  that  of  the  fish  itself,  the 
course  of  the  run  at  iSan  Pedro — the 
abundance  or  availability  of  the  fish  from 
day  to  day  throughout  the  season — has 
been  studied  by  analysis  of  the  daily  aver- 
age boat  catch.  This  was  determined  by 
tabulating  and  averaging  the  individual 
catches  of  each  boat  day  by  day,  the  data 
being  obtained  from  the  filed  carbon  copies 
of  the  original  fish  I'eceipts  issued  by  the 
canners   to  the  fishermen   at  the   time  of 


CALIFORNIA  FISH   AND  GAME. 


181 


delivery.  This  tabulation  and  analj'sis 
of  the  average  boat  catch,  including  the 
records  of  some  110  boats,  is  in  course 
of  completion.  Careful  consideration, 
however,  has  been  given  such  artificial 
factors  as  market  or  labor  conditions  in 
arriving  at  a  conclusion  as  to  the  daily 
abundance  of  the  species  and  an  effort 
has  been  made  to  take  them  into  account. 

The  character  of  the  season's  run  has 
been  studiwl  by  taking  a  twenty-pound 
sample  of  the  fish  from  the  individual 
boat  loads  day  by  day  at  the  time  of 
unloading  at  tlie  canneries,  together  with 
data  on  the  locality. and  time  of  the  catch. 
To  date,  182  such  samples  have  been  taken 
from  boats  unloading  at  seven  canneries 
in  San  I'edro  and  Wilmington,  and  from 
them  the  average  weight,  average  length 
of  the  fish  in  each  boat  load,  the  size  or 
age  groups  represented,  sex  and  degree 
of  sexual  maturity,  were  determined. 
From  these  samples  about  5000  individual 
fish  have  been  specially  measured  and 
sexed.  And  from  these  data  the  spawning 
habits,  the  class  of  fish  taken,  and  the 
variation  in  the  catch  have  been  studied. 
The  degree  of  mixing  of  age  or  size  groups, 
or  the  degree  of  uniformity  of  size  in 
different  schools  is  also  being  investigated. 

The  measurements  of  the  large  series 
of  fish  above  mentioned,  in  addition  to 
indicating  the  character  of  the  run,  have 
been  tabulated  to  show  the  frequency  with 
which  fish  of  each  length  occur.  This 
tabulation  of  length-frequency  is  the  oldest 
reliable  method  of  detennining  the  age  of 
fishes  (see  California  Fish  and  Game, 
Vol.  5,  No.  2,  p.  53),  and  the  curves  or 
graphs  prepared  from  onr  figures  give 
undoubted  indications  of  the  ages  of  the 
various  sizes  of  commercial  importance. 

The  study  of  the  maturity  and  spawning 
habits  of  the  sardine  at  San  Pedro  was 
begun  two  years  ago  when  M;r.  Thompson 
and  assistants  made  series  of  examinations 
of  the  condition  of  the  roe  during  the 
spring  of  1918  and  1919.  The  results  of 
these  observations  were  published  in  this 
magazine  in  July  1910.*  The  same  ob- 
servations were  repeated  during  the  past 
spring  season  by  the  writer  and  in  addi- 
tion to  the  records  of  spent  and  relatively 
mature  fish,  the  roe  of  about  140  fish 
was  preserved  at  weekly  intervals  and 
deposited  in  the  laboratory  collections  for 


♦California     Fish     and     Game,     Vol.     5, 
No.   3,   p.   159,   July,  1919. 


future  microscopical  study.  The  records 
of  the  maturity  obtained  while  measuring 
the  large  series  of  fish  mentioned  above 
have  also  been  tabulated  and  curves  drawn 
to  show  both  the  relative  numbers  of 
immature,  relatively  mature,  and  spent 
fish  present  in  each  size  group,  and  also 
the  per  cent  of  mature  fish  at  each  length. 
The  same  series  of  measurements  has 
been  studied  to  determine  the  relative 
numbers  and  sizes  of  the  two  sexes,  in 
regard  to  possible  selective  migrations, 
relative  mortality,  and  differences  in  rate 
of  growth.  E.   n. 

THE    SARDINE    PROBLEM     IN    THE 
MONTEREY    BAY    DISTRICT. 

That  the  Monterey  sardine  fishery  has 
increased  in  volume  to  eight  times  that 
of  three  years  ago  is  evidence  enough 
that  the  possibility  of  depletion  can  not 
be  much  longer  ignored.  The  value  of  the 
present  annual  pack,  about  five  and  half 
million  dollars,  warrants  the  concentra- 
tion of  attention  on  this  problem.  Con- 
sequently, in  the  summer  of  1919  the  work 
was  commenced. 

The  investigation  was  begun  November 
12,  1919,  and  was  carried  on  energetically 
to  the  end  of  the  season  in  March,  1920. 
The  work  was  necessarily  of  the  nature 
of  a  preliminary  survey  and  involved 
the  taking  of  extensive  daily  records  of  the 
various  aspects  of  the  daily  commercial 
catch.  Samples  from  about  six  boat  loads 
were  taken  daily  as  the  fish  were  un- 
loaded at  the  canneries.  An  average 
weight  of  sardines  in  the  respective  catches 
was  ascertained  by  the  weight  and  count 
of  the  fish  in  these  representative  samples, 
the  locality  of  the  catch  was  obtained  in 
most  cases  by  a  personal  interview  with 
each  fisherman,  and  a  number  of  fish  were 
reserved  from  each  sample  for  further 
examination.  This  remaining  work  was 
done  at  Hopkins  Marine  Station,  where 
the  Fish  and  Game  Commission  was 
courteously  granted  the  use  of  quartere 
and  facilities.  This  made  possible  the 
taking  of  accurate  measurements  of  the 
sardines  and  a  dissection  for  the  purposes 
of  determining  sex  and  the  development  of 
spawn  in  the  fish.  During  the  season  345 
samples  were  taken,  7534  fish  were 
measured  and  sexed,  and  about  200  ovaries 
were  preserved  for  study  of  the  egg  de- 
velopment. 

A  partial   analysis  of  this  data  shows 


182 


CALIFORNIA  FISH   AND  GAME. 


that  we  have  definite  clues  to  the  answei-s 
of  the  vital  questions,  and  it  but  remains 
fur  u  more  extended  study  to  corroborate 
iuul  suhstaiiliate  facts  which  we  have  cou- 
ceriiin.u;  tiio  age,  rate  of  gi'owth,  migra- 
tion and  spawning.  A  complete  report 
of  findings  will  be  i)ublished  by  the  fish- 
cries  resi'arcli  laboratory  at  an  early  date. 
Of  conive  large  questions  of  yearly 
fluctuations  in  abundance  and  sizes,  with 
(heir  ini|)ortant  bearing  on  depletion,  can 
not  be  coinpri'licnded  in  the  results  of 
mil'  season's  dala.  but  tlie  data  laken 
I  Ills  last  s;'as(tn  are  in\aliialde  as  the  first 
of  a  series  of  consistently  comiiarable 
scientific  observations  of  each  season's 
catch,  without  which  nothing  concerning 
dei)letion  can  be  detected  before  the  harm 
is  already  done.  It  now  remains  for  con- 
linnance  of  this  study  to  solve  all  of  the 
|ii-c>bleins      concerned,      and      insure      the 


perpetuity  of  our  great  resource,  through 
the  adoption  of  intelligent  conservational 
measures.  O.    E.    S. 

LARGE  TUNA. 
A  large  proportion  of  the  blue-fin  tuna 
caught  during  the  month  of  August  this 
year  was  of  unusually  large  size.  A  six- 
ton  load  of  excessively  large  ones  was 
brougiit  in  to  San  Pedro  by  the  boat 
"Little  Terina"  on  August  10.  The  fish 
averaged  ll.'i  ])ounds.  the  largest  tuna 
weighing  182  jionnds  and  measuring  live 
anil  a  half  fi'^i  in  length,  and  ihi'  smallest 
Miiasiiring  over  four  anci  a  half  i'l-fl  in 
IfUglli.  'I'lir  aNcrauc  wi-iglit  of  tuna,  and 
the  size  niosl  cchin cnicnl  lo  haniilr.  xarics 
aiound  oH  or  4lt  pounds,  'i'lic  lislici'nii'i\ 
coniidain  of  much  dannige  lo  tiieir  nets 
by  tile  large  tuna,  the  meshes  nul  being 
strong  enougii  to  \\ilh.slanil  the  assaults 
of    these     monsti'rs.  <  ►.  10.  S. 


LIFE  HISTORY  NOTES. 


BAND-TAILED    PIGEON    NESTS    IN    SE- 
QUOIA    NATIONAL     FOREST. 

On  September  1,  1920,  Guard  Arnold 
and  myself,  while  working  on  the  head 
waters  of  Deer  Creek,  Section  35,  T. 
23  S.,  R.  31  E.,  M.  D.  M.,  at  an  elevation 
of  approximately  CjOO  feet,  discovered 
the  nest  of  a  i>and-tailed  pigeon,  Cohimba 
fusciata  fasciata. 

The  nest  consisted  of  a  few  small  dry 
tir  limbs  and  twigs  about  10  feet  from 
the  ground  in  a  dog\vood  tree.  The  nest 
was  so  rudimentary  that  it  did  not  seem 
possible  that  it  could  be  a  nest  at  all. 
On  it  was  one  .small  squab  about  one- 
fourth  the  size  of  the  parent  bird.  It  was 
naked  except  for  a  few  sparse  reddish- 
brovNTi  hairs  on  the  head  and  back.  We 
saw  eight  adult  birds  near  where  we 
found  the  nest  and  they  acted  as  if  they 
had  nests  near  by.  W.  F.  Derby. 

LARGE   MACKINAW  CAUGHT  IN 
DONNER  LAKE. 

On  July  10,  ]920,  Mr.  J.  C.  Purdy  of 
Sacramento,  California,  caught  a  fifteen- 
and-a-half-pound  mackinaw  trout  in 
Donner  Lake.  This  lai'ge  fish  was  caught 
with  a  trolling  tackle.  The  mackinaw 
trout  was  first  planted  in  Lake  Tahoe  in 
1895  and  a  year  later  in  Donner  and 
other  nearby  lakes  after  the  successful 
hatching  of  a  shipment  of  eggs.    Although 


fish  of  this  species  are  occasionally  caught 
in  lakes  of  the  Truckee  Basin,  the  mack- 
inaw, or  Great  Lakes  trout  as  it  is  some- 
times called,  has  never  thrived  to  the 
extent  expected  when  introduced  into  this 
part  of   the  country. 


m! 

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i 

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1 

ii^rfiii  ■ 

^     m 

l''ui.    4  7.      Mackinaw     troul    caught    by 
.1.   C.   Purdy,   in  Donner  Lake,   Truckee, 

California. 


CALIFORNIA  PISH   AND  GAME. 


183 


SPARROWS   DESTROY   GARDENS. 

The  damage  to  fiiiit  by  the  house  fiuch 
and  the  damage  to  fall  and  winter  gardens 
of  the  city  and  suburbs  and  some  counti*y 
districts  by  the  intermediate  sparrow  are 
responsible  for  most  of  the  bad  feeling 
which  some  people  hereabouts  have  for 
"birds."  Owing  to  the  flocking  and  cov- 
er-loving habits  of  this  sparrow  the  dam- 
age to  gardens  is  confined  to  those  near 
which  the  birds  find  ready,  cover.  For 
exam])le,  a  garden  in  the  open  or  even  a 
hiiiidrwl  feet  from  a  hedge  or  brushy 
canyon  is  perfectly  safe.  Plots  that  suffer 
are  little  home  gardens  in  the  thinly 
settled  parts  of  city  and  country. 

The  vegetables  eaten  are  lettuce,  peas, 
string  be:uis,  turnips,  radishes,  beets,  the 
things  planted  here  from  October  to  April 


when  this  sparrow  is  one  of  our  most 
abundant  birds.  Onions  are  untouched, 
and  I  believe  carrots  also,  and  potatoes 
very  seldom  if  other  stuff  is  present ;  be- 
sides the  potato  grows  too  fast  to  be 
greatly  damaged.  But  where  the  birds 
have  congregated  they  will  practically 
clean  up  small  gardens  of  growing  tender 
vegetables.  Trapping  is  of  no  avail,  owing 
to  their  numbers.  Screens  of  wire  or 
cloth  are  ofTective  but  i)ooi)li'  dislike  Uie 
trouble  and  exiiensc.  OFlm  Ihey  give 
up  in  despair  until  Apiil.  Frightening 
birds  away  with  clods  only  drives  Ihem 
to  a  friendlier  place.  The  only  solulion 
of  the  problem  1  know  is  to  plant  after 
October  1  what  the  l)irds  will  not  eat 
and  cover  up  other  tender  things  until 
.\pril.  Carroll  DeWilton  Scott. 


REPORTS. 


STATEMENT  OF   EXPENDITURES. 

For  the  Period  from  July  1,  1919,  to  June  30,  1920. 

Administration: 

Commissioners    .— -  $1,072  70 

Executive  offices   26,217  67 

Printing    3,824  84 

Research   and   publicity 5,030  41: 

Accident  and  death  benefits 2,765  19 

.$39,510  84 

Connnereial  fish  culture  and  conservation: 

Superintendence    1 $13,639  99 

Insijection   and   patrol 29,693  55 

Research  18,122  68 

Statistics    9,662  74 

Market  fishing  license  commissions 765  OO 

Propagation  and  distribution  of  salmon - 22,703  34 

94,587  30 

Si)orting  fish  culture  and  conservation: 

Superintendence    $14,510  34 

Printing    1,909  94 

Prosecutions  and   allowances 655  05 

Angling    license    commissions 15,^4  20 

Special   field   investigation 252  35 

Pish  exhibits  7,306  91 

General  patrol  (pro  rata  share) — 

San  Francisco  District   (40  per  cent) 34,545  05 

Los  Angeles  District   (40  per  cent) 14,148  00 

Sacramento  District  (40  iier  cent) 27,303  76 

Propagation  and  distribution  of  trout 121,102  29 

236,960  S9 

Game  conservation: 

Printing   $3,879  17 

Prosecutions   and   allowances 1,225  38 

Hunting    license    commissions 21,131  20 

Mountain  lion   hunting   and   bounties 6,950  23 

General  patrol  (pro  rata  sliaro) — 

San   Francisco   District    (60  per  cent) .  51,580  75 

Los  Angeles  District  (60  per  cent) 21,222  05 

Sacramento  district  (65  per  cent) 40,958  6i 

146,945  46 

Tahoe  camping  ground 3,152  98 

Total  expenditures  $521,157  47 


184 


CALIFORNIA   FISH   AND  GAME. 


Mexican. 


Total. 


Imperial. 


San  Diego. 


Orange- 


Los  Angeles 


San  Luis  Obispo 
Santa  Barbara. 
Ventura 

Monterey 

Santa  Cruz 


San  Francisco, 
San  Mateo 


Contra  Costa, 
Alameda 


Tehama, 
Colusa, 
Cilenn 


Sacramento, 
San  Joaquin. 


Solano,  Yolo... 


Marln. 


Mendocino. 
Sonoma,  Lake. 


DpI  Norte. 
Humboldt. 


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CALIFORNIA  PISH   AND  GAME. 


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CALIFORNIA  FISH   AND  GAME. 


VIOLATIONS    OF    FISH    AND   GAME    LAWS 
April  1  to  June  30,  1920. 


Offense 


Nunilier 
of  arrests 


Fines 
imposed 


Game. 

Huntln!?  witliout  licpn?e 

Trappine:  ivitliout  lironse - - 

Door— clopo  poason -killinfr  or  possession--. 

Fomale  floor— snike  bucks— fawns— killing  or  possession , 

lllog-al   door   liulo?-  possession 

Brush  and  cottontail  ral'bits    closed  season— killing  or  possession 

Ouail— in   captivity   vitliout   porniit 

Doves- olosod    sc'son— killing   or   posfossirn 

Ducks — closed  season-killinf?  or  possession 

Xongame  bird?— killing  or  possession 

Protected   sliore  birds— killing  or  possession 

Pheasant- killing    or    possession : 

Possession  condor  wings 

Total  game  violations. _- 

Fish. 

Angling  without   license 

Fishing  for  profit  without  license 

Striped    bass— undorweiglit- excess    limit    and    offering    for    sale — closed 

season   

Wack  bass— closed  season— taking  or  possession 

Runfish- closed  season— taking  or  possession . 

Perch— excess  limit- taking  or  possession 

Trout— excess  limit— closed  season— taking  other  than  by  hook  and  line.. 

Clams — undersized— excess    limit 

Crabs — undersized- excess    limit 

Abalones— under  or  oversized— closed  season 

Shrimps — dried— possession    

Fishing   in  restricted   waters 

Illegal  fishing  aiiparatus 

Pollution    of  state  waters 

Total   tlsh   violations 

Grand  total  (isli   and  game  violations 


7 
3 
20 
3 
S 
5 
2 
7 
3 


$125  00 

35  00 

805  00 

100  00 

700  00 

125  00 

100  00 

175  00 

75  00 

35  00 


1 

25  00 

1 

1 

10  00 

61 

$2,310  00 

27 

$000  00 

13 

120  00 

6 

190  00 

7 

200  00 

3 

60  00 

1 

20  00 

7 

100  00 

7 

175  00 

13 

70  CO 

45 

1,4<X)  00 

6 

100  00 

4 

50  00 

10 

750  00 

1 



149 

$3,895  00 

210 

$6,205  00 

SEIZURES— FISH    AND    GAME    AND    ILLEGALLY    USED 
FISHING   APPARATUS. 


April   1    tc   June  30,  1920. 

Game. 

iKer   meat - 243J  pounds 

Doves   —       8 

Kahbits 1 

Mi.'^ccllanoous  game  1 

Doer    hides    --        3 

Deer  heads 1 


Fish. 

sturgeon     210J  pounds 

'front    27    pounds 

Black   bass   25*  pounds 

Striped  bass  1893  pounds 


Barracuda    ..2,100    pounds 

Halibut    - 1,30»    pounds 

Salmon    -- -     14    pounds 

Dried  shrimps  1,000    pounds 

Crabs    617 

.■Vbalones 780 

Clams    (Pismo)    369 

Clams  (cockle)   — —    606    pounds 

Illegal  nets  (including  26  fyke  nets)      34 
Crawnsh  traps  10 


Illegal  fish  and  gamc- 


Searches. 


INDEX  VOLUME  6. 


Abaloue,  39,  41,  D2,  l)."),  9G,  OS,  137,  140, 
.1Sr»,    ISO;    soup-tin    sluirk    eats,    37; 
of    northeru     California.    45-50;     re- 
ciiporatlve    power    of.    S4-S5 ;    occur- 
rence  in   Monterey,   85. 
Black,  45. 
Green,  45 
Red,   45. 

Acorn,  3(5. 

Agar-agar,  to  be  manufactured  in  south- 
ern  California,  31-32. 

Albacore,  25.  2S.  40,  OS.  72.  90,  96,  97, 
13G,  172,  173,  174,  184;  off  San 
Franci.sco,  131 ;  progress  of  work  on. 
178-179. 

"Albacore,"  launch,  5,  33 ;  scientific  work 
■of  the,  86-88. 

Algae,   31. 

Amadou,    113. 

Amberfish,   72. 

American  Bird  Banding  Association,  122. 

AMERICAN  FIELD,  1.33. 

American  Museum  of  Natural  History, 
122 

Ancho"vy.  40,  90,  93,  96,  97,  136,  184. 

Angler,   ]2S,  143,  171. 

Angling,  170 ;  prospects  injured  by  dry 
years,    64-65. 

Animal.    12.5. 

Fur  bearing,  66.  118,  166,  168. 
Invertebrate,     87. 
Predatory,  66,  67,  166. 

Anoplopomo   finibria,   87. 

Antelope.  66.  70,  105,  106,  121,  132,  133. 

Aquarium,    153,    157,    166,    171. 

Affivntliiu  .sialis,  87. 

Arnold,  guard,  182. 

Arrests.  28,  71.  73,  127.  132,  186. 

Arthroihamiis   hifidiis,  82. 

Audubon    Society,    70. 
California.  70. 
Xaticmal   Associaliou  of.  70. 

Au(lul)()n    Association    of    the   I'acifie,    70. 

.Vvocet.  25,  98. 

Ayu,    18. 


B 

Bacteria.    32,    171. 

Badger.  89. 

Bait,    37. 

Baker,   Flovd   E.,  127. 

Baldpate,  107. 

Baldwin.    S.    Prentiss,    122. 

Bandfish,   Crested.   34. 

Banding,  of  waterfowl,  122. 

Barracuda.    39.    40.    82.   90,    93,    96,    97, 

98.  136.  140,  184,  186. 
Bass,  66,  72,  82. 

Black,  39,  41,  91.  94,  97,  137,  184,  186; 
the  voung  of  the,  5-6. 

Kelp,  6. 

Rock.  41,  90,  93,  96,  137. 

Sea,  82. 


Striped,  6,   25,  28,   39,  41,  81.  91,  94. 
98,    137,    140,    185,    186;    Hawaiian 
Islands     furnished     with     California, 
18-19. 
White,  41,  68,  91,  94,  136,  184. 
Bander,    C.    S.,    fishing   village   compelled 
to     move,     30-31 ;     agar-agar    to    be 
manufactured  in  southern  California, 
;!l-32  ;  kamal)oko  being  manufactured 
at    San    Pedro.   82. 
Baxter.    A.   C,    132. 
l:?ear,  70,  89  ;  protection  favored,  126. 
Black,   89,   126. 
Brown,  66,  89. 

Grizzly,  22,  66,  67,  105,  106,  165. 
Beaver,    6G,    73,    133 ;    increase    in    the 

Adirondacks,    166. 
Belding,    Lyman,    70-71. 
Benedict,   James  E.,  86. 
Bird,    22,    39,    98,    105,    117,    118,    139, 
140,165,   169. 
Censuses.    125. 
Distribution,   66. 
Domestic.  168. 
Game,   66,   122. 

Insectivorous,  66,  71,  117,  122,  132. 
Land,   122. 
Migratory,    132 ;    see    Migratory    Bird 

Treaty    Act. 
Nest,    182. 
Nougame,  71,  132. 
Predatory,  66. 
Sea,    131. 
Song,  66,   122. 
Bill,      Nelson,      67;       f'haniberlain,      68; 

Weeks-McLean,   117. 
Bittern,    106. 
Bluebill,   133. 
Blue-fin,  68. 

Bluefish,  40,  90,  93,  136. 
Bobcat,  food  of,  37. 
Bobwhite,  122. 

Bocaccio,  40,  90.  93,  136,  184. 
Bonito.  40.  68,  90,  93.  96,  97,   K'.O,  184. 
ISowers,    Geo.    M.,    145. 
Boy    Scouts,    70. 
Bid  ma  rail,   88. 
P.rant,   107. 

Brown.  Wm.  S.,  doe  with  three  fawns.  37. 
P>rownlow,    O.    1'.,    151 ;    where    do    deer 

sleep,   88. 
Bruce,  Jay,  73. 

Bryant,   11.   C,   20,   21,  65,  Q*(j,  83;   does 
the   Barrow   golden-eye   breed    in    the 
Sierras?    38:    the   mullet    fislieries   of 
Salton  Sea.  60-63;  distribution  of  the 
golden    trout    in    California,    141-152. 
Brvozoan,  154. 
Buck,   3  5.  16,  89,  134,  135. 
Buffington.  M.  W..  145,  1.50. 
I'.ullard.  F.  A..  146,  148,  151,  152. 
Burke,   John,   28. 
Buoy,   175. 
Burrill,      A.      C,     meadowlarks      control 

cricket   pest,    38. 
Buscomb,    Edwin    II.,    deer    protection    in 
Siskiyou   County,   125. 


188 


C\rJFORNlA    FISH    AND   GAME. 


CALIFOKXIA  FISH  AND   GAME.  17, 
;«,  35,  4l',  .-)<»,  (;4.  S7,  lis,  IIU,  i:iO, 
1:51,   ir.7,  175,  181. 
Califoruia  Musoiiin  of  Vertebrate  Zoology, 

L"J,   24.   118,   119. 
Califi)niia-Urt'gou    I'ower    Company,    7(5, 

lOL'. 
California     State     Fishr^rles     Laboratory, 
ContrihiUioii,    is'o.    lo,    a-G ;    No.    15, 
10-lli ;  No.  1(J,  32-35  ;  No.  17,  45-50  ; 
No.     18,    83-88;     No.    19,     130-131; 
No.   20,  153-157;   No.  21.  177-182. 
Calioon,    a.    W.,   144,    150. 
Caincr  maf/iftfvr,   7,   8. 

(/Kicilis,   8. 

iiiitciniariKii.  S,  9,  10. 

Iiroiliictiiti,   9,  10. 
Caiuu-ry,    2S.    SO,    S2,    83,   85:    naval    air 
station  tisli  i^atrol  opens  idle,  71-72. 
("anvasliack,    133. 
Carangitlae,    33. 
Carp,  40,    00,   02,   84,   90,   93,   13G,   184; 

co\v-cai"p,    61. 
Cat,    Bob.    food   of   tiie,   37. 

Civet,  89. 

King-tailed,  89. 

Wild,  (Ki,   89;  eats  cliiekejis.  37. 
("atfi^sll.  39,  4(».  90,  its.  i;!(;,  140,  1S4. 
('<ttiihi><  ii1rr,   153,    157 
<'aviar.  90. 
Ccanotlnis.  13,  15. 
C-nsns,  Bird,  125. 

(iain<',    125. 
('liainlxM-Iain,  Senator,  21  ;  hill,  OS. 
''liickcn,  37. 

l'lnlip(;pper,  40,  90,  93,  13G,  184. 
Vitliutichihun   xanthostigma,   87. 

soididiis,  87. 
Clams,  39;  progress  of  work  on,  179-180. 

Coekle,   41,   92,   95,   98,    137,   140,   185, 
1 SC). 

Little   Neck,   140. 

Mixed,   41,   92,   95,   137,   185. 

Pismo,   41.   92.   95,   98,    131,   137,   140, 
179,  185,  186. 

Soft  shell,  41.   92.  95,  137,   ISO,  185. 
Clfingiila   islandica,   37. 
Club,  122. 

Boone  and  Crockett,  132. 

Cnstine,    88. 

Newman,  88. 

Tuna,  32,  68. 

Visalia   Si>ortsmen's,  144. 

Sierra,  140,  150. 
fonlfish.  40,  90,  93. 
'"od.  Ciiltus.  25.  40.  90,  93,  13G,  1S4. 

Alaska    black,    87. 

Rock,  80,  184;  red,  87. 
Coffman,  J.   I).,  notes  on  the  life  historj 

of  the  black-tailed  deer,  15-10. 
loker,  R.  E.,  32. 
<"olby,    Wm.    E.,   146. 

<  'ommercial   Fishery,  102. 

" 'oiniiiiTciiil    ti.shery    notes,    29-32,    80-82, 
1 72-170. 

<  'ondor.   seen    near   head   of   Deer   Creek 

-1  _o;» 

<"()XI>()R.  THE,  22 

''iminll.    y[.    .7..    a   new   executive   oflScer, 
IIG. 


Conservation^  17,  67,  80,  119,  165.  IGG, 
174,  177;  national  commission  on 
wild  life,  120;  in  other  states,  35, 
131-133. 
Commission  of  New  York  State,  85, 
131,   1G7,  108;  of  Iowa.  108. 

Conservationist,   more  trained,   lt)7 ;  mak- 
ing.   lC.7-HiS. 

CONSEKVATIOMST,  THE,  L>(i,  35,  165. 

t'oon.   89. 

Coo|>eration,    linited    States    I'ori'st    Sitv- 
ice.    88-89,    134-135. 

Corbina,  30. 

Cord,    iimbiiieal.    155. 

Coryphai'noidida?,    83. 

Coxe.  J.  A.,  32. 

Coyote,  0(j,  89,  125. 

Crab.   25,  39,  41,  91,  98,    l.'.T.    llo.    ls5, 
INt;;    the   Pacific   edible  crab   and    its 
iii'iir  relatives,  7-10;  occurrence  of  a 
rare,    SG. 
Rock,    N. 

Craiulall.    W.   C,  83. 

Crane,   U7,   1(>G,   107. 
Sandhill,    07. 

Crawlish.    ISG. 

Creel.  .59. 

Cricket,   38. 

Crowley,    Arthur,    144,    1.5(>. 

Crustacean,  15,  41.  91.   i::7,  172.  185. 

Culver,   A.   E.,   171. 

Curlew,    27. 
i^.l.ick,  106. 

(^utllelish,  42,  92,  95,  97,  i:'.7,  1S5. 

('mniiioditii    iiHKiiltiriiix.    02,    S4. 

fiilii  mild    fast  ill  til    fiixrinlii,    1S2, 


Dado,  S.  IL,  68. 

Dalder,  Ernest.  50,  85. 

Davis,  A.   P.,  21. 

Davis,  Captain  Charles.  GO.  Gl,  02,  83. 

Deane,   Lieutenant,   144.  145. 

Deer,   36,   39,  ()4.   70,   98,   IKT.   127,   133, 
140,  166,  1<;7,  169,  170,  ISO ;  need  for 
doe  protection  obvious,  27  ;  doe  with 
three  fawns.  37;  where  do  deer  sleep, 
88j    protection    in    Siskiyou    County, 
125 ;  season   too  early  on  the  Lassen 
Forest,   134. 
Black-tailed.  66.  89;   notes  on   life  his- 
tory of,  15-lG. 
Columbia,  66.  134. 
Southern,   (Mi. 
Mule.   125;   on   Lassen  Forest,    l.'U-l.Ti. 
California.    67. 
Desert,  (>7. 
Rocky  Mountain,  67. 

Dciulrovjjuiia   hicolor,  88. 

Derby,  W.  F.,  133;  band-tailed  pigeon 
nests  in  Sequoia  National  Forest, 
182. 

Distribution.    6G. 

I  )iver,   black   throated,   25. 

Dixon.  Joseph,  24,   118. 

Doe.  IG.  64.  125;  need  for  jirotection 
obvious.  27;  with  three  fawns,  37. 

Dogfish,  40.  90,  93. 

Dolphin.  35,  40.  68,  90,  93. 

Dove,  98,  105,  ISO. 


CALIFORNIA   FISH    AND    GAME. 


189 


Dry-fly,  uotos  on.  No.  2,  1-5.  No.  3.  50-59, 

No.  4.  107-115,  No.  5,  157-164. 
Duck.  .^9,  00,   07.  71,  98.  100.  117,   131, 
140;  watch  foi-  banded,  122;  as  win- 
ter guests  in  a  city  park,  24  ;   whon 
are    groenheads    most    abundant,    22, 
24 ;      does     the     Barrow     golden-eye 
breed    in    tlie    Sierras?    37-.3S ;    guns 
used    by    duck    pirates,    120;    in    the 
^  luiperinl   Valley.  333. 
I'ulvors     tree — winter     occurrence     in 

San    .Joaquin    Valley,    SS. 
Mallard.   22,  24,  107. 
Vs'oiH],  24. 
Duke.  K.  D.,  151. 
Dutcber,  B.  H.,  144,  1.50. 


Eagle,   Golden,   25.   66. 

Ecrevi.vse.  41.  91,  95. 

EDITORIALS : 

California  Fish  akd  Game  five 
years  old.  17 ;  we  must  capitalize  our 
resources,  17 ;  education  versus  law 
lenforcement.  17-lS :  fur  resources 
endangered.  IS ;  new  game  fish  im- 
ported. IS;  California  furnishes 
strii>ed  bass  to  Hawaiian  Islands, 
]  S-1 9 ;  streams  now  stocked  with 
golden  trout,  19 ;  Oscar  H.  Reich- 
ling.  19;  save  Klamath  Lake  bird 
reservation,  20-21;  the  hunter's  la- 
ment, 21 ;  southern  California  fish- 
eries filmed.  21-22 ;  seven  grizzlies 
formerly  existed  in  California,  22 ; 
when  are  greenheads  most  abundant? 
22  and  24;  California's  game  sanc- 
tuaries, 23;  California's  first  game 
refuge.  24 ;  protect  the  wood  duck. 
24 ;  fishes  in  relation  to  mosquito 
control.  24-25:  bird  protection  in 
EiiQ-Iand.  25:  the  fishing  industrv  in 
•California.  25;  a  California  fox  farm, 
25-20 :  how  many  shooters  in  the 
TTuited  States  today?  20:  ownership 
of  wild  life.  26  :  the  warden  of  game, 
20 ;  muskrat  farm  established  in 
Ohio.  20-27 :  Canada  urges  protection 
of  game.  27 ;  need  for  doe  protection 
obvious.  27:  additional  game  sanc- 
luiiries.  04:  the  game  warden  at 
work,  0)4 :  dry  years  injure  angling 
prospects.  04-'65 ;  govwnment  and 
Fish  and  Game  Commission  inau- 
eiirate  free  nature  guide  service,  65; 
Chester  A.  Scroggs.  05:  Forest  Nes- 
bij;t,  0.5 :  forest  officers'  reports.  66, 
07 :  a  bill  to  establish  game  sanctu- 
aries in  national  forests.  67-68:  San 
Dieffo  to  make  clean  sweep  of  the 
English  sparrow.  68:  sportsmen  land 
many  big  fish.  68:  forest  officers  to 
act  as_  game  wai'dens.  68-70;  bird 
protection  societies.  70:  game  abun- 
dant in  early  days,  70-71 ;  sure  pun- 
ishment meted  out  to  violators  of  the 
mbi-ratory  bird  treaty  act,  71 ;  naval 
air  station  fish  patrol  opens  idle  can- 
neries, 71-72;  a  new  executive  officer, 
110;  optimism  versus  pessimism,  110; 
the  validity  of  the  migratory  bird 
treaty   sustained,  116-118 ;   survey  of 


the  fur-bearing  mammals  of  Califor- 
nia, 118-119;  adequate  game  protec- 
tion, 119  :  a  national  commission  on 
conservation  of  wild  life,  120;  guns 
used  by  duck  pirates,  120 ;  salmon 
fishing  at  Mendota  weir,  120-121 : 
commission's  duty  to  pi'otect  fish  and 
game,  105;  summer  resort  educational 
work,  105;  the  grizzly.  105-106; 
beavers  increase  in  the  Adirondacks, 
106 ;  state  fair  exhibit,  106 ;  legal- 
izes carrying-  of  gun  in  closed  season, 
166-167 :  more  trained  conservation- 
ists, 167 :  mud-hen  stew,  "hunter 
style,"  167 ;  making  conservationists, 
167-168 ;  preservation  of  inland 
mar.shes.  168-169;  another  sports- 
men's creed,  109  ;  the  airplane  viola- 
tor, 109 ;  France  demands  game  re- 
paration,  169. 

Educational    work,    summer    resort,    165. 

Education  versus  law  enforcement,  17-18. 

Edwards,   E.   II.,  144,  1.50. 

Edwards.  Helen.  S3.  1.30;  the  growth  of 
the  swell  shark  within  the  egg  case, 
153-157. 

Eel.  40,  90.  93. 
-pout,  87. 

Egg,     182.    183;    case,    1.51;    yolk,    1.54; 
small    take    of,    171. 
Ayu,   IS. 
Cormorant.  21. 
Grunion,  1.30,  131. 
Pelican,    21. 
Sage  hen.  13. 
Salmon,   80,    101. 
Steelhead,   l71. 

Trout.    74.   75.    70,    77,    78,    79. 
Golden,   19,   171. 

EJaqatis  hiniinivlafu.'i.  33. 

Elk.  06,  70,  100,  121.  133. 

Ellis.   L.   L..   14.5.   1.50. 

Ellis.  S.  L.  N.,  121:  the  dislribulion  of 
the  golden  trout,  141-152. 

Enzyme.  32. 

Ephmeridae.  100. 

Eiichcma  spiiinsiinu.  31. 

Evermann.   Barton   W..  145. 

Expenditures,  44,   99,   100,  140,   183. 


Facts  of  current  Interest.  28,  73,  127.  170. 

Falcon,    Peregrine,    25. 

P'arm.  a  California  fox.  25;  muskrat 
farm  established  in  Ohio.  26;  fur, 
28;  a  successful  fox,  125:  same,  169. 

Ferguson,   A.   D..   14'6,    147.    148,   151. 

Feudner.    Otto,    88. 

Film.  35.  131.  ' 

Fines.  28.  71.  122.  127.  1.31.  132.   134. 

Finley.  W.  L..  1.32;  save  Klamath  Lake 
bird  reservation.  20.  21. 

Fish.  25.  33.  37.  66,  73,  82.  S5.  87.  91. 
94.  97,  105,  106.  111.  116,  121,  123, 
128,  129,  134.  137.  148.  165.  168; 
new  game  fish  imported.  18:  in  rela- 
tion to  mosquito  control.  24-25  ;  sea- 
planes to  locate.  31 ;  a  snipe-fish  from 
Catallna.  .32-33:  the  "runner"  fish  in 
Lower  California.  33  :  Mexican  fishes 
in  California  norts.  33-34;  guide  to 
the  study  of.  35 ;  first  appearance  of 


100 


CiVLIPORNIA    FISH    AND    GAME. 


the  "crested  band-fish."  34-3.J ;  pack, 
11>19,  (j8 ;  sportsmen  hind  many  big. 
(hS ;  naval  air  station  fish  patrol  open 
idle  canneries.  71-72 ;  occurrence  at 
Monterey  of  a  deep  sea,  88  ;  northern 
Califurnia  "day"  and  "night"  surf- 
130. 

.Vnadromous,  85. 

Canning.    28,    174. 

( "onservation,   80. 

Dislribntion,  74-7.J,  SG,  123. 

I'lat,    NO. 

I''()od.   SO,  157. 

K  res)  I -water,    02. 

i.aw.  10:  viohiiioii  of,  t:;,  '.is,  i:',!i,  iso. 

Laililer,  <iO,  171. 

.Meal,    07. 

Uack,    7S. 

Sliell.    179. 

Scombroid.  173. 

Screen,  00,  135. 
I'ish  ;iiid  (Jame  C'onimission,  California, 
IS.  V.K  21.  22,  23,  28,  31,  []3,  05,  OS. 
CO,  70.  71.  73.  74,  70,  70,  83,  80.  102, 
no.  110,  127.  128.  131,  132,  135,  140, 
147,  148,  153,  105,  170,  172,  173, 
174.  177,  180;  and  government  in- 
augurate free  nature  guide  service 
05 :  (hity  to  protect  fish  and  game, 
105. 

Hawaii,   18. 

Minnesota,    auctions    confiscated    gear, 
35 ;    breaks   record,   35. 

Ohio,   132. 

Oregon,    132. 

Wisconsin,  IS. 
Fish  and   Game   District,  l-I.   134. 
Fishculture,  Department  of,  74,  102,  128, 

172. 
Fisher.   89. 
Fisher,   A.   K.,  70. 
I'isher,  W.  H.,  guns  used  by  duck  pirates, 

120. 
Fisher,   W.   K..  83,   80.  153. 
Fishermen,  1.  28.   71,  73,  81.  83.  80,  87, 
121.    123.    134,    105,    174.    175.    177, 
181,    182:     I'nion    at    Fort    Bragg, 
20-30. 

Association,  153. 
Fishery.  .*-i!» ;  southern  California,  filmed, 
21-22 ;  Newport  Bay.  being  devel- 
oped, 30;  i-ecent  publications,  32: 
mullet,  of  Salton  Sea.  00-0 1 ;  investi- 
gation of  jiroposed  halibut,  80:  of 
California  inspected  by  bureau  chief, 
1 73. 

Commercial,   Department   of,   102,  123. 

Laboratory,  170. 

I'roducts,    40-42.    90-05,    130-138,    82; 
California    commercial,    00-97. 

Salmon,    170. 

Sardine.  173,  ISO.  181. 
Fishing,  3,  4,  57,  65.  00.  80,  135;  notes 
on  dry-flv,  No.  2,  1-5;  No.  3.  50-59; 
No.  4.  107-115:  No.  5,  157-104; 
manv  boats  destroyed.  29;  village 
c(jmpelled  to  move,  30-31 ;  Mendota 
weir  salmon.   120-121. 

Industry,    in    California,    25,    08;    en- 
couraged in  New  Zealand,  123. 


Flv.    Bo.x,    .59.    102,    103. 

brv.   2,   3,   4,   5,   50,   54,   50,    108,   158, 

](J3. 
Salmon.  172. 
Sedge.  1.50,  KJO. 
Wet,   .5<>,  52.  54.  50,  159. 
Flounder,  25.  40,  87,  88,  90,  93,  130,  184. 
Food.  00,   lis. 

of  black-tailed  deer.  15;  of  bobcat.  '.Vi. 
Forest,  fire  and  our,  88  ;   bill   to  establish 
game  sanctuaries  in  07-OS;  mule  deer 
on  the  Las'sen,  134-1. "5. 
Cjiiifornia,    SO.   134. 
El  Dorado,  134. 
Foster.  II.  F.,  IS. 

l'"ox,  00;  a  Califurniii   fox   f.inii.  25;   f.iiiii 
a  success.   125. 
(J rev,    SO.    UHi. 
Silver   black.    125, 
Frog.   42.   02.   05. 
Fungi,   15,  113. 

Fur.  12"),  125,  1(;S  ;  resources  endangered, 
IS:   bearing  mammals  of  California, 
118-110. 
Farm,    28. 


GtiJdIhcit  californirnfiis,  80. 
(lalcorhinua    zyoptcrus,    37. 
Gamhnsia  affinis,  24. 

Game.  17.  21,  22,  00.  105,  110,  105,  107, 
1(10,  ISO;  forest  fires  destroy.  3()-37  ; 
abundant  in  early  days,  70-71  ;  in 
the  California  forest,  80;  in  the  San 
.Toaciuin  Valley  in  1853,  104-107;  sale 
])rohibited  in  District  of  Columbia, 
1S3. 
P.ird,  GO.  ,,  , 

Law     in    Colora(h).   133;    in    Massachu- 
setts.   133;    violations,    43,    08,    122, 
130.   ISO. 
I'reserve,    35.    110;    state.    23. 
I'rotection.    ICu  ;    adequate,    110 ;    Can- 

nda  urges.  27. 
Kefuue.    23.    3(5.    (>7.    00,    70,    73.    119; 
California's  first.  24;  1-F,  134;  1-G, 
135;    Virginia    favors    new    type    of, 
.35. 
Reparation,   demanded  by  France,  100. 
Sanctuary.    110:    California.    23;    addi- 
tional.'04:  4-F.  (U  ;   a  bill  to  estab- 
lish    game    sanctuaries    in    national 
forests.  07-OS. 
Game  warden.  2(5.  37.  135,  108;  at  work, 
04 :    forest   ofiicers    to    act    as,    08-70. 
United   States.   117.  132. 
(Jammarus.   172. 
Gear.    35.    173,    174.    170. 
Geese.    00.    (!7.    10().    107. 
Canada,  122. 
Gray.   140. 
(iclidium  raninini.  31. 

cartiliKjiucinn.   31. 
G'uiarictuac,  31. 
(Jilliert.  C.   IT..  32.  S7. 
Gill,   flhimeiits,    1.55:   slit,   155. 
(ili/l)t()<<ii)i<iliis    '.inliii  iix.    S~ . 
Goat.    124. 


CALIFORNIA   FISH    AND    GAME. 


191 


(loldcu-oye,  Barrow,  docs  it  breed   in   the 

Sierras V,  oT-iiS. 
<J(ildeii  trout,  .vte  Trout. 
(Joid   tish.   24. 
(Joyher,  IIMJ. 

(; ivctlldria  voitfcrvoidiS,  31. 
(ira.'^.shopper,  lUS,  lU'J,  110,  111,  112,  113, 

114,  115,  1511,  1G3,  1(J4,  lUU. 
(J  ray  fish,   13(1,  1S4. 
(Jraysou,    Audrew    J.,    game    in    the    San 

-Joaquin  Valley  in  IS53,  104-107. 
Greeuhead,    when    are    they    most    abun 

dant?,   22,   24. 
(k-eentish,  40,  !J0,  i>3,  13G. 
(rrizzly,  (JG,  (il,  105,  IWt,  Itw ;  seven  foi 

nierly   existed   in   California,  22. 
Grotto,   F.   G.,  131. 
(iron per,  0. 
(J rouse,  GO. 

Colunil)ian  sharp-tailed,  G7. 

Sh'rra,   G7. 
(jrunion,   at   Monterey,   1.30;    enemies   of 

at    Long   Beach,    131. 
Guano,  32. 
(Jull.  124  ;  in  Monterey  Bay,  85-8G. 

Glaucus-winged,   86. 

Herring,  86. 

Sea,  85. 

Western,    86. 
GULL,  THE,   70. 

Gun,  35,  166;  used  by  duck  pirates,  120 
Gymnogyps    caUfornicus,    133. 


H 

Hake,  40,  87,  90,  93,  136,  184. 
Halibut,   39,   40,   82,   83,   86,   87,   90,   93, 
98,  136,  140,  184,  186;  investigation 
of   halibut    fishery   proposed,   80. 

Net,  61,  S3. 
Haliotis  rufescens,  45,  46,  47,   84. 

cracherodii,,  45,  47,   48. 

f  nig  ens,  85. 

gigantea,  4.5. 

wullalciisis,  45,  49,  50,  85. 
Hall.    George,   147. 
Hardhead.  40.  90,  93,  136,  184. 
Hare,   10.5,   169. 
Hatchery,  73,  166. 

Almanor,   78,  128. 

Bear  Lake,  79.  128. 

Bogus  Greek.  76. 

Bonneville,  80. 

Brookdale,   77. 

riear  Creek.  78,  128. 

Cottonwood  Creek,  76. 

Itomiugo   Springs,   78,   128,    1.35. 

Fall  Creek.  76. 

Fort    Seward,    77. 

Kaweah,  79. 

Klaniathon.  76 

Mouul   Shasta, 

Mount  Tallac. 


171,  172 


128. 

75-76,  78,  128 
..   77. 

Mount  Whitney.  19.  76-77,  149.  152 
Scott   Creek,   78,   128. 
Sisson.    146,   148. 
Snow  Mountain.  77,  128,  171 
Tahoe,  76.  77,  127,  170,  172. 


.     Tallac,  172. 
Ukiah,  77. 
Wawona,  78, 
Yosemite,  79. 
Ilatcherv   notes, 
Hawk,   66,   169, 


79. 
74-79,  128-129, 


171-172 


Ilcacock,  E.  G.,  19. 

Heath    hen,    167. 

Helwig-,   L.   11.,  34. 

Heron,    107. 

Hei'ring,  40,  73,  90,  93,  96,  97,  136,  184; 

occurrence  of  the  Japane.se,  33;   low 

rivers   iulluence  the  spawning  habits 

of,    8L 
Hexactinellid,  86. 
Higgeus,   Elmer,   131,   180;    the  young   of 

the    black    sea-bass,    5-6 ;    notes    from 

the    State    Fishei-ies    Laboratory,    32- 

35,  83-88. 
Hill,  I'.  ,T.,  145,  150. 
Hind,  isee  Deer. 
Hogue,  A.  II.,  146. 
Holland,  Kay  P.,  117. 

Hook,   14(;,   147,   148,    1  t!>,   17<»,    172.   175. 
(Jrab,    121. 
Spoon,  88,  121. 
Hoi)kius   Marine  Laboratorv,   153,   181. 
Hough,  Emerson,  1,  64. 
Hubbs,   Carl  L.,  130. 
Huber,  C.  C,  88. 

Hunt,  H.  H.,  food  of  the  bobcat.  37. 
Hunter,   165,   16G,   167;   lament,  21;   how 

many  in  U.  S.,  26. 
Hunter,    J.    S.,   in   memoria-m,   19. 
Hunting,   67,    170. 
Hurby,  Mr.,  101. 
HypomcsHs,  130. 

I 

Idiucanthns  antrostomus,  33. 
ILLINOIS   SPORTSMAN,  -^6. 
lugvason,   P.   A.,   124. 
International    Usheries    Commission,    SO 
Interstate    Sportsmen's    Prot(>cti\e    Asso- 
ciation, 117. 
Ishikawa,   C,   18. 


Jacksnipe,   67. 
Jowfish,  California.  5-6,  82. 
Johnson,  J.  Sub,  145,  1.50. 
Jordan,  David  Starr,  18,  35. 
.Jump,   James   W.,  68. 

K 

K.,   M..  making  conservationists,  167-168. 
Kamahoko.    being    manufactured    at    San 

Pedro,  82. 
Karakul  sheep,  see  Sheep. 
Kildeer,  see  Plover. 
Kingfish,  40.  90,  93,  136,  184. 
Kinnear,    J.    I^.,   88. 
Kishinouye,    Kamakichi,   173. 


Jjadder,  sec  Fish. 
I.iark.    wood.    25. 
Laestreto,   C.  B..   70. 

Law,  69,   71,   177;   education  versus  law 
enforcement,    17-18;    New    York    en- 
forces conservation,  35;  legalizes  car- 
rying of  gun  in  closed  season,  166-1G7' 
Fish,  10. 

Game,  122  ;  in  Colorado,  133 ;  in  Mas- 
sachusetts,  133. 
Hunting  license,  19. 
Migratory     bird,     see     Migratory     Bird 

Treaty    Act. 
Water  pollution,  28. 


1U2 


CALIFORNIA   FISH    AND   GAME. 


Loader,  58,  59,   104. 

I^ahy,   Ilpi-bort,  28. 

Ix'frisliidire.   of   California,   121. 

Leopold,  Aldo,  22. 

Ijewis  and   Kiorinan,  25,  125. 

Lic.-nsp.   IIC).   119,   123,   1(39. 

Kishiiifj.   GO. 

Ilimliiiir.  ()9.  lOG,  170. 
I/if.'    liistory,    (JG;    notes,   30-38,    88,   133, 

1S2-183. 
l.iiniK't.  42,  9.5,  137,  185. 
Linn.    ."8,    HG.    148,    ]49,    IGl,    1G2,    170, 

172.  174,  175. 
Lion.  73. 

Mountain,  00. 
Lohst.'i-.  39.  98.  140. 

Spiny,   25,   41,   91,   95,   185. 
Loc'k  Leven.  sec  Trout. 
Lophotrn,  34,  35. 

c(  pcdiaitus,  34. 
Luvar,  35. 

Ijijcodoftxi.s  pacificiis,  87. 
Lynx,   GO. 
Luiix  cremicus  califoniicus,  37. 

M 

-M.,  K.  I...  .Irv-flv  fishing'.  No.  2,  1-5; 
(Irv-llv  tishiii!.'.  No.  3,  .50-59;  dry-fly 
lisliin-,  No.  1.  107-115;  dry-fly  fishing, 
No.  5.   157-104. 

.Mack.M-el.    .30.    40,   JK),    93,    90,    97,    184 ; 
family,    173. 
Spanish.    33,    130. 

M<i(>o)litiiiii)]i<t-siis    ]i(iir(iii<  niiif!,    32,    33. 
rch'taris.  33. 

Massot,  131. 

Mallard,  sec  Duck. 

JLimmal,  18,  22,  GO,  73,  119,  105;  sur- 
vey of  the 'fur-bearing,  of  California, 
118-119. 

Marl  in.  40,   90,   93. 

Mast.  15. 

:Matsuoka.    C.    31. 

-Maule,  W.  W..  suggested  bird  reservation 
on    Mono   Tvake,   124. 

Maxey,  Gonnan,  wildcat  cats  chickens,  37. 

MilMurray.    Sam,    147. 

Mcadowlark,    control   ci'icket  pest,  38. 

.Merganser.   American,  73. 

.Meniam,   C.    Hart.   22. 

Microsloiuus   pacificiis,   87. 

MigTation,   120,   125;   differential   sex   mi- 
gration of  Mallards  in  New  Mexico, 
22. 
Fishl  00. 

.Migratory  Bird  Treaty  Act,  122,  131, 
132 ;  sure  punishment  meted  out  to 
violators  of.  71 ;  the  validity  of  sus- 
tained. 110-118. 

Miller.  A.  K.,  soup-fin  shark  eats  aba- 
lone,    37. 

Miller.   Love   Holmes,  05. 

Mills.    Enos.   105. 

Mistletoe,   15. 

M()ckingl)ird,  100. 

Moffit.   .lames.  144,  150. 
Sargeant,    145. 

Moles.  100. 

:Mollnsk,  41,  92,  95.  131,  137,  185. 

Monster,  of  the  deep  sea  captured,  33. 

Moore,    H.    F.,    173. 


Moose,  00. 
.Morris,   Kay.  127. 
.Mosipiito,   24,   101  i. 

Larva;,   24. 
Moss,  15. 
Mountain 

Lion,  sec  Lion. 

Sheep,  sec   Sheep. 
Mouse,    100. 

^fud-hen,   stew,   "Hunter   Style,"    ir,7. 
MiKid  evjihahis.  GO.  01. 
•Mullet.    40,    83.    fvi,    90.    93,    130,    IM: 

fisheries  of  Sallon   Sea.  00-03. 
.Muskrat.   108;    farm  established  in   Ohio, 

2(f27. 
.Muse,    Edward    M..   need   for   doe   protec- 
tion ob\ious.  27. 
Mussel.   .32,   42,   92,   95,    137,   185. 

N 

Xasu.    Kiati,    153. 

National   commission   on   the  conservation 

of  wild  life.  120. 
National    forests, 

California,    game   in    the,  89;   steelhead 
trout  in,  134. 

El    Dorado,   134. 

Inyo.   14(>. 

Lassen.    134-13.5. 

Se(juoia,  182. 
NATIONAL      (;EO(;UArilM:      M.\(;.\- 

ZINE,   24. 
National    I'ark,   05;    and    nionunieiils,   23, 
07. 

Sequoia.    145. 

Yosemitc,    149,    105. 
National  Park  Service,  27,  Hm. 
Natui-c  guide,  05. 

Naval   air  station   fish  patrol,   71-72. 
Nelson  hill.  07. 
Nelson.  E.  M.,  153. 
Nelson.  E.  W.,  108. 
Nelson,  J.  M.,  145,  150. 
X+nnatode,  131. 
Nematonnrus  acrolepis,  83. 
Nesbitt,  Forest,  05. 
Net,   39,   98.   140,   182,   180. 

Cod  trawl.  83. 

Gill.    73.    174. 

llaliliut    trammel,   01,    8o. 

Landing.  .59. 

Otter   trawl.   80. 

I'aranzella,  87. 

Trawl,  80,  123. 
Newbert,  F.   M.,  a   new  executive  olHrcr. 

110. 
New  York  Zoological  Society,  132. 
Nidever,   H.  B.,  131. 
Nielsen.  E.  M..  33,  34. 
Night   Jar.   25.  .,   ,   , 

Note,  life  history  of  the  black-tailed  deer. 

15-l(i:   on  (irv-flv   fishing.  No.  2,  1-5, 

No     3.    .50-.59;    No.    4,    107-115;    No. 

.5.    157-104.  ^^^    ^^^ 

Commercial  Fishery.  29-32,  80-82,  172- 

State  fisheries  laboratory.  32-35,  83-88, 

130-131.  177-182.  ^    ^ 

Hatcherv.   74-79.   128-129.   171-172. 
Life  historv.  30-38,  88,  133. 


CALIFORNIA   PISH    AND    GAME. 


193 


ObLT,  E.  II.  127.  UT.  140,  l.-iO,  151,  152; 
the    life    history    of    tlie    sage    hen, 
12-14. 
Octopus,    fishius    in    Japan,    174-175. 
Oflocoilcufi  colli inbianiis,  15. 
Oil.  02,  ()S.  lOS.  175;  on  Pismo  beach,  131. 

Fish,  97,  123. 
Olor  col umhUi Hill fi,  73. 
Ornithologist,    70. 
Osmcrus,  130. 
Osprey,  25. 
Otolith.  179. 
Otter,  70. 

River.   89. 
Owl,   25. 
Oyer,  P.  H.,   83. 
Ovster,  25. 

Eastern,  4^,  92,  95,  138,  185. 

Native,  42,   92,   95,   138,   185. 


Paladini,    A.,    SO. 

Panama-Pacific  International   Exposition, 
IGO. 

Panther,  89. 

Partriflge,    m.    167,   169. 

Pearl,  V.   E.,   34. 

Penalties,  heavy  for  hunters  in  Michigan, 
131. 

Perch.  37.   30.  40,   90,  93,  136,  184. 

Permit,    119.    133. 

Pheasant.  66.  133,  169. 

Pisreon.  39,   98. 

IJand-tailefl,   nests  in    Sequoia  National 
Forest,  182. 

Pike.  40.   90.  93.  136,  184. 

PINE   CONE,   119,   169. 

Pine  nut,  36. 

P1eii)onichthi/s   decurrens,   88. 

Plover.    Kentish,    25. 
Kildeer,  9S. 

Poison.  122,  132,  171. 

Pollution,  131 ;  stream,  in  New  York 
State,   85:    water,   in   Ohio,   132-133. 

Pomfret,  35,  88. 

Pompano.  31,  40,  90,  93.  1.36,  184. 

Porcui)ine,    Yellow-haired,   67. 

Predatory,  see  Bird  and  Animal. 

Preservation,  of  inland  marshes,  168-169. 

Propagation.  17 :  American  school  of  wild 
life    protection    and.    167. 

Protection.  17.  124.  135,  165 ;  bird,  in 
England,  25  ;  of  the  sockeye  salmon, 
35 ;  societies,  70 ;  of  the  salmon  fish- 
eries, SO:  adequate  game,  119;  to 
deer  in  Siskiyou  County,  125 ;  of 
bear  favored.  126. 

Punly.   .T.   0.,^183. 

Ptarniigan,  66. 

I'teraclidffi,  35. 


Quail.  35,  39,  66,  70,  98,  105,   106,  133, 
140,  167  :  immune  to  strychnine  poi- 
soning,  122. 
Mountain.  36.  37,  89,  122. 
Valley,   89,   122. 
"Quinuat,"   patrol   launch,  18. 


Pvabbit,  36,  39.  66,  98.  105,  106,  140,  167. 

Jack,  165.  166,  167. 
Rack,  sec  Fish. 
Raccoon.    168. 
Rail.  107. 

Raiultow.  ftcc  Trout. 
h'dj'i  xlclhiliifd,  88. 
Rat,    ir.t). 

Reel,   57,    161,   1<)2. 

Redington,  Paul  <J.,  69,  151  :  a  California 
condor   seen   near  the   head  of   Deer 
Creek,   133. 
Reeher,   Max,  38. 
Refuge.   1-F,   134;   1-G,   135. 

Game,  23.  24,  67,  69.  70,  73,  119. 
Reichling.   Oscar  H.,  10. 
Reports.  39-44,  69,  90-100,  136-140,  183- 

isn. 

California  commercial  fishery  products, 

06-97. 
California  fresh  fishery  products,  40-42, 

90-95,   13(V138.   184-185. 
Forest  officers',  66-67. 
Seizures — fish,   game  and   illegally  used 

fishing  apparatus,  39,  98,  140,  186. 
Statement  of  expenditures,   44,  99-100, 

140.  183. 
Violations   of   fish   and   game    laws,   43, 
98,  139,  186. 
Reservation,  save  Klamath  Lake  bird,  20- 
21 ;    federal    l)ird,    23 ;    suggested    on 
Mono   Lake,   124. 
Bird.  70. 
Game,    169. 
Resources,    we    must   capitalize    our,   17 ; 

fur,    endangered.   18. 
Rich,   Willis.    103,    178. 
Richards.  W.  W.,  167. 
Rifle,   35. 

Ring-tailed   cat.   see   Cat. 
Roadrunner.    106. 
Robinson.  J.,  146. 
Rockfish.  40,  90.  93,  136,  184. 
Rod,  55. 
Dry-fly.  53,  158,  162. 
(rreenhart,   55. 
Wet-Hy,  .53. 
Roe.   41,  91,  94,  96,   137,   181. 
Rollmops,  97. 

Roosevelt.  Theodore,  20.  21,   145,  146. 
Runner,   33. 


Sablefish,   87.  97.   136,   184. 
Sage  hen,   life   history  of,   12-14. 
Salachini,  97. 

Salmo.  ^  ,^ 

agua-bonita,    141,    144.    145,    146,    148, 

l."0.   152. 
gilberti,  142. 
roosevelti.     141.     14.3.     14.5,     147,     148. 

149.  1.50,  151.  152. 
whitei,  141.  144,  145,  150,  1.51. 
Salmon.  12,  13.  15.  29.  39,  40,  68,  73, 
74  75  77.  SI.  90.  93.  96.  97,  98, 
km").  121.  135.  136,  170, 172.  184.  186; 
protection  of  soc-keye,  35 ;  packers 
fear   depletion,    81;    fishing   at   Men- 


194 


CAIJFORNIA    FISH    AND    GAME. 


dota    weir.    120-T21 ;    marking    sock- 
eye,    80S1 ;     catohes    in    ocean    and 
stivams,     17.j-17(j;     season    at    Mon- 
terey,  170. 
Cliinook.    '2't :    niarkinj:    experiment    at 

KlamaMi    Kiver,    I'.H'.t,    101-104. 
Quinnat,   7."),   7ti,  77. 
JSilver,   at    Monterey   in   lld'O,   175. 

Salt  lick,   15. 

Salton   Sea,   in\esli:;ali()ii,  S.'t-Sl. 

Sanddab,   41,   87,   IM,   <»1,   i:Jt;,   138,   184. 
Yellow-spotted,   87. 

Sanders,  J.  II.,  a  California  fox  farm, 
25-2(>;    fox    farm    a    success,    125. 

Sandpiper,  !)8. 

Sano,    ir.,    30. 

Sardine,  28,  30,  31.  .•',3,  41.  G8,  71,  72, 
80,  [t],  1)4,  !H;.  ;»7.  1.37,  138,  184; 
the  propo.sed  investi,i;alion  of  the,  10- 
12;  the  inaiijjuration  of  scientific 
work  on  the,  32;  progress  of  the 
work,  83;  progress  of  the  sardine 
work,  180;  ])resent  status  of  thj 
investigation  in  the  San  Pedro  dis- 
trict, 180-181  ;  problem  in  the  Mon- 
terey Bay  district,   181-182. 

Scale,  178,  179. 

Scallop,   138,   185. 

Scholberg,   I'rivate,  145.   1,50. 

Scicntihe  a.ssistanl  emi)k)yed,  83. 

Scoticld.  X.  li..  eoninu'rcial  fishery  notes, 
2!>-.32.    80-82,    172-170. 

Seofield,    N.    M.,    14L>. 

Scofield,  W.  L.,  king  salmon  marking 
experiment  at  Klamath  liiver,  lOlt), 
101-104. 

ficoiiihtromcrus   sierra,  34. 

Scombroidei,   35. 

Scott,  Carroll  Do  Wilton,  sparrows  de- 
stroy   gardens,    182-183. 

Screen,  see  Fish. 

Scripps  Institute,  83. 

Scroggs,  Chester  A.,  05. 

Sculpin,  41,  91.   94,   184. 

Sea  bass,  see  Bass. 

Sea  monster,  see  Monster. 

Seaplane,  72,  172,  173  ;  to  locate  fish,  31. 

Sea  trout,  see  trout. 

Seaweed,    31. 

Searches,    39,    98,    140. 

iSehastodcs  sp.,  87. 

Seine,  19,  130,  147. 

>Se(jii(jia  f/ if/a II tea,  133. 

tSerioia,  33. 

Sette,  ().  E..  32,  S3,  86,  130.  178,  ISO. 

Shad.  41,  82.  91,  94,  90.  137,  184. 
Buck,  41.  91,  94,  137,  184. 
i:oe,  41,  91,  94,  96,  137,  184. 

Shark,  Gurry,  SO. 

Sleejjer,    captured,    SO. 

Soup-fin,  eats  abalone,  37. 

Swell,  growth  within  egg  case,  153-  157- 

Shebley,  W.  II.,  hatchery  notes,  74-79, 
128-129,  171-172. 

Slieep,  Karakul  industry,  123-124. 
Mexican    wool,    124. 
Mountain,   60. 

Siircpshead,   41,   91.   94.   137,   184. 

Siiiras    III,    George,    117. 

Shrimp.  39,  41,  91,  95.  185,  180. 

Skate.   41,   91,   94,   137,   184. 
Starry,  88. 


Skiiuaek,  41,  OS,  91,  14,  90,  97,  137,  185. 

Skua.  25. 

Skunk.    89,    108. 

Smalley.  E.  W.,  148.  151. 

Smelt,   .30.  41,  87,  91,  93,    137,  185. 

Snail.  92.  !t5,  1.3S. 

S.-a,    42. 
Snipe,   100. 

Snipe-fish,    from    Catalina    Island,   32. 
Snyder.    J.    ().,    ](i3;    the    pomfret    near 

I-'ort   Brat;g.   SS. 
S..le,   2.5,   41.  87,  91,   93,   137,   185. 

Chinese,    87. 

I>ong-finned,    87. 

K-'x,    87. 
SdiiiiiioKiis   iiiiirmi iihahjus,  SO. 
Siiarrows.  destroy  gardens,  183. 

Desert.    107. 

English.  San  Diego  to  make  clean  sweep 
of,   08. 
Spaulding,    M.    K.,   75,    78. 
Spawn,   18.    19.   70,  77,  80,  81.  101,   102, 

121.  1.30.  1.3.5,  149,  181,  182. 
Split-tail,   41.   91,  94,   137,   185. 
Spinner,    KM),    103. 
Si)iracle,    155. 
S]>onge,  So. 
Spoonbill,  25. 

Sportsman,   100,   107;   another  creed   for, 
109. 

SBDirrSMAX'S   KEVIEW.  20. 

S(iuare-tail,    35. 

Squid.   42,   92,   95,   !n;.   !i7,    j:;].    l.'!\    174 

185. 
Sijuirrel.    30. 

(J round.    89,    107,    122 

Tree,  00. 
Stag,  sec  Ueer. 
Stanford   TTniversitv,   153. 
Starks,   E.   C,  33,  "SO. 
State  Fair,  exhibit,  100,  170,  171. 
Stercoleiyis  gigas,   5. 
Stingaree.  41.  91,   94.  137,  185. 
Stivers,  Charles  G.,  37. 
Sturgeon.  98.  180. 
Sucker.  41.  91,  94,  137,  185. 
Sun   Fish.   24. 
Surf-fish.  41.  91,  94,  185. 
Swan,  98.  107. 

Whistling.  73. 
Swordfish,   41,    08,    91,   94,   137,    1,85. 


Taeniosomi,  3.5. 

Tahoe  Cam])  (around,  170,  172. 

Taniguehi,  T.,   SO. 

Teal.  107. 

TciKij;  31. 

Terrapin,  42,  92,  95,  185. 

Thomiison.  AVill  F.,  SO;  the  proposed  in- 
vestigation of  the  sardine,  10-12 ; 
the  abalones  of  northern  California. 
45-.50:  the  mullet  fisheries  of  Sallon 
Sea,  00-03  ;  notes  from  the  State 
Fisheries  Laboratorv,  32-35,  83-88, 
130-131.   177-182. 

Thiniiiiis  tin/ II 11  us,  172. 

Tibbetts,  Captain.  130. 

TodfMlie.    Dick.    ."iO. 

Tokvo  Imj/erial  I'niversity,  173. 

Tomcod,  41,  91,  94,  137,  185. 


CALIFORNIA    FISH    AND    GAME. 


195 


Toms,   Webb,    San   Diego   to   make   clean 

sweep  of  the  English  sparrow,  G8. 
Tonkin,   George,  132. 
Top-minnow,  24,  C>2,  S4. 
Trapping.    118.   122;    industry,   GO. 
Trawl,  Otter,  SG. 
Trolling.    17G.    183. 
Trout.   IS,   39,   58.   73,   74,    75 
134,    140.    186;    farm,    91, 
74.   75,   76.   128.   129.   135, 
in  Bear  Lake.  171;  food.  172. 
Black-spotted.  74.  77.  79.  128.  134,  135, 

172. 
r,rown,   74,   128. 

Eastern  brook.  GG.  74.  77.  128,  134 
Golden,    74,    76,   77.   IGG. 
now    stocked    with,    19 
of    the    golden    trout 


98, 
94: 
IGG 


114, 

fry. 

;   die 


135. 

170 ;   str<\Tms 
distribution 
in    California, 


141-152 :     lacks    hardiness    of    other 

trout,    171. 
Loch  Leven.  74,  12.S.  134,  135. 
Madvinaw.  caught  in  Donner  L'jke.  182. 
Rainbow.  <^8.   74,   76,   77,   78,   79,   127 

128.    134,   135. 
Sea.  41,  91.  94.  137.  184. 
Steelhead.   41.   74.   77,  78,   79.   9L   94 

128.     135.     1.S5:     in     the     California 

National    Forest.    134. 


Trough.  172. 

Tuna.  25,  41,  42.  68,  72 
137 :  the  status  of 
eries  investigated,  173 


91. 


94, 
94. 


172 


r.lue    fin.    41, 

1S2.    185. 
Yclluw  fin.   41.  91. 
Long-tinned.  172.  173. 
Tnrbot.  41.  42.  91.  94, 
Turkey,   wild,   167. 
Turtle.  t>2,  95,  96,  138,  185 
Sea,  42. 


91.  94.  96,  97, 
172-173;  fish- 
large,  182. 


<o, 


3<, 


1<5, 
185. 
185. 


174, 


132,  168;  takes  over  work  of  Ameri- 
can    Bird-banding    Association,     122- 

123. 

T'uited  States  Bureau  of  Chemistry.  1(4. 

TTnited  States  Bureau  of  Entomology,  38. 

United  States  Bureau  of  Fisheries,  19, 
24.  25.  32.  75,  76.  80.  83,  87,  101, 
103.   145,    146,   153.   173. 

United  States  Bureau  of  Fisheries.  Pres- 
ervation   Laboratory.    173,    174. 

United    States    District    Court,    117. 


United  States 
Cooperation, 
United  States 
United  States 
University,  of 
Cornell.  167 
Iowa    State, 


Forest  Service.  GO,  70,  78. 
88-89,    134-135. 
National   Museum.   32,  87. 
Supreme  Court,    116,   117. 
Illinois,  85. 

167. 


of    Washington.    167. 


oo 
.J.J. 


\'an  Camp.  Gilbert, 
Van   Camp    Sea   Food   Company.   33. 
Violations.    135.    167 :    of    fish    and    2;auio 
laws.  43,  69.  98.  139.  18(5;  of  .Migra- 


torv    Bird   "^Freatv 
Violator.    71.    12.5.    1"52.    KiG.    167; 

si>ort    for    influential,    122;    t 

plane,    169. 
A'ogelsang,  Charles  A.,  116. 

W 


Ward.    Henry    B.,    85. 
Warden,  sec  Game  warden. 
Warnock.    A.   W..    180. 
Waterfowl.    70,    117.    122.    168,    ICO. 
Watson,   Wilev,  144.   1.50. 
Weaver.    M.    U,    145,    1.50. 
Weeks-.McLean    bill.    117. 
Wosterfcld.    Carl.    69.    116.    1.51. 
Wet  flv.  50.  .52.  54.  56.  159. 
Weymovth.    F.    W..    i:!0.    1.31.    179; 

Pacific  edible  crab  and  its  near 

fives,  7-10. 
Whale,  80.  123. 
White.    Stewart   Edward.   145. 
Whitebait.   41.  91,   14.   137.  185. 
Whitefish.   39.   91.    94.    137,    185. 
'Wild    Cat.    m.    89;    eats    chickens. 

food  of,  37. 
Wild   life,   ownershin   of.   26 :   films. 
Wolverine.   Sierra  Nevada,  67. 
Wolf.  66. 

Northern  Timber.  67. 
Wood   Lark,   src   Lark. 
Woodpecker.   25. 
^^'(^rm.    nematode,    131. 
Wryneck,  25. 


heap 
air- 


the 
rcla- 


Yellowfail 
185. 


OO, 


41,  72,  91.  94.  96.  97.   137. 


Zoarcidse,  87. 


600S      10-20      5400 


OUJFGRNIA 
nSH-GAME 

(CONSERVATION  OF  WILD  LIFE  THROUGH     EDUCATION' 


1         Volume  6 

Sacramento,  January,  1920 

Number  1         1 

J 

BOARD  OF  FISH  AND  GAME  COMMISSIONERS. 

Commissioners  appointed   by  the  Governor,   by  and  with  the  consent  of  the  Senate. 
Term  at  pleasure  of  Governor.     No  compensation. 

F.  M.  NEWBERT,  President Sacramento 

M.  J.  CONNELL,  CJommissioner Los  Angeles 

E,  L.  BOSQUI,  Commissioner San  Francisco 

CARL  WESTERFELD,  Executive  Officer San  Francisco 

J.  S.  HUNTER,  Assistant  Executive  Officer San  Francisco 

R.  D.  DUKE,  Attorney San  Francisco 

DEPARTMENT  OF  FISHCULTURE. 

W.  H.  SHEBLEY,  In  Charge  Fishculture Sacramento 

E.  W.  HUNT,  Field  Superintendent Sacramento 

G.  H.  LAMBSON,  Superintendent  Mount  Shasta  Hatchery Sisson 

W.   O.  FASSETT,   Superintendent  Fort   Sevpard   Hatchery,   Ukiah,   and   Snow 

Mountain  Station Alderpoint 

G.  McCLOUD,  Jr.,  Superintendent  Mount  Whitney  Hatchery  and  Rae  Lakes 

Station   Independence 

G.  E.  WEST,  Foreman  in  Charge  Tahoe  and  Tallac  Hatcheries Tallac 

E.  V.  CASS  ELL,  Foreman  in  Charge  Almanor  and  Domingo  Springs  Hatcheries 

Keddie 

L.  J.  STINNETT,  Assistant  in  Charge  Klamath  Stations Hornbrook 

G.  L.  MORRISON,  Foreman  in  Charge  Bear  Lake  and  North  Creek  Hatcheries 

San  Bernardino 

GUY  TABLER,  Assistnnt  in  Charge  Yosemite  Hatchery Yospmire 

E.  HAMMOND,  Assistant  in  Charge  Fall  Creek  Hatchery Hornbrook 

JUSTIN  SIIKRLEY,  Foreman  in  Charge  Brookdalo  Hatchery Brookdalc 

J.  B.  SOLLNER,  Assistant  in  Charge  Wawona  Hatchery Wawona 

A    E.  DONEY,   Fish  Ladder  Inspector Sacramento 

A.  E.  CULVER,  Screen  Inspector Sacramento 

M.  K.  SPALDING,  Assistant  in  Charge  of  Construction Sacramento 

DEPARTMENT  OF  COMMERCIAL   FISHERIES. 

N.  B.  SCOFIELD,  In  Charge San  Francisco 

H,  B.  NIDEVER,  Assistant San  Pedro 

W.  F.  THOMPSON,   Assistant Long  Beach 

ELMER  HIGGINS,  Assistant Long  Beach 

EARLE  DOWNING,  Assistant San  Francisco 

S.  H.  DADO,  Assistant San  Francisco 

C.  S.  BAUDER,  Assistant San  Pedro 

P.  H.  OYER,  Assistant Monterey 

L.  H.  HELWIG,  Assistant San  Diego 

BUREAU   OF   EDUCATION,  PUBLICITY  AND   RESEARCH. 
DR.  H.  C.  BRYANT,  In  Charge Berkeley 


PATROL  SERVICE. 


8AN   FRANCISCO  DIVISION. 

B.  Ii.  Booqul,  Commissioner  In  Charge.     Carl  Westerfeld,  Executive  Officer. 

J.  S.  Hunter,  Assistant  Executive  Officer.    B.  C.  Bouclier,  Special  Agent. 

Head  Office,  Postal  Telegraph  Building,  San  Francisco. 

Phone  Sutter  6100. 


W.  H.  Armstrong Vallejo 

Earl  P.  Barnes Eureka 

Theo.   M.   Benson Fortuna 

O.   P.   Brownlow PortervlUe 

F.  A.  Bullard Dunlap 

J.   L.   Bundock Oakland 

J.   Burke Colma 

M.   S.   Clark San  Francisco 

8.  L.  N.  Ellis . Fresno 

A.   M.   Fairfield San  Francisco 

J.  H.  Hellard Laytonville 

J.   H.  Hill Watsonville 

D.  H.  Hoen San  Rafael 


I.   JL.  Koppel San  Jose 

Henry  Lencioni Santa  Rosa 

Albert  Mack San  Francisco 

B.    H.    Miller UklaJl 

B.  V.  Moody Santa  Cruz 

W.  J.  Moore Napa 

F.   B.   Nesbitt Salinas 

J.  B.  Newsome Newman 

Chas.  R.  Perkins Fort  Bragg 

Frank   Shook Salinas  City 

E.  W.  Smalley Hanford 

H.  E.  Foster_Launch  "Qulnnat,"  Vallejo 
Chas.  Bouton__L.aunch  "Qulnnat,"  Vallejo 


SACRAMENTO   DIVISION. 

F.  M.  Newbert,  Commissioner  in  Charge. 

Geo.  Neale,  Assistant. 

Forum  Building,   Sacramento. 

Phone  Main  4300. 


T.   W.    Birmingham Red  Bluff 

E.   W.    Bolt Gridley 

S.  J.  Carpenter Maxwell 

Geo.  W.  Courtrlght Canby 

Euell  Gray Placervllle 

W.  J.  Green Sacramento 

G.  O.  Laws Weavervllle 

Roy  Ludlum Los  Molinos 


R.  C.  O'Connor Grass  Valley 

E.  D.  Ricketts Live  Oak 

D.  E.  Roberts Murphys 

J.  Sanders Truckee 

C.  A.  Scroggs Loomls 

R.  L.   Sinkey Woodland 

L.  J.  Warren Taylorsvllle 

J.  S.  White Castella 


LOS  ANGELES  DIVISION. 

M.  J.  Connell,  Commissioner  in  Charge. 

Edwin  L.  Hedderly,  Assistant. 

Union  League  Building,  Los  Angeles. 

Phones:   Broadway  1155;  Home,   F5705. 


H.  J.  Abels Santa  Maria 

J.  J.  Bamett Ventura 

H.  D.  Becker San  Luis  Obispo 

J.  H.  Gyger Elsinore 

W.  C.  Malone San  Bernardino 


B.  H.  Ober Big  Pine 

H.  L  Prltchard Los  Angelei 

A.  J.  Stout Los  Angeles 

Webb  Toms San  Dlegc 


1919     ABSTRACT  CALIfORNiA  fISH  AND  GAME  UWS     1920 

WHITE  SQUARES   INDICATE  OPEN   SEASON 
NUMBERS   IN   SQUARES  ARE  OPEN   DATES 


HUNTING  LICENSES 
Lkense  Year  from  July  I  to  June  30 

Residents,  $1.00.      Non-residents,  $10.00.     Certain 
Aliens,  $10.00.    Other  Aliens,  $25.00. 

ANGLING  LICENSES 
Lleenie  Year  from  January  I  to  December  31 

Residents,  $1.00.    Non- Residents,  $3.00.    Aliens. 
93.00. 

TRAPPING  LICENSES 
Lioenae  Year  (rom  July  I  to  June  30 

Citizens,  $1.00.     Aliens,  $2.00. 


CAUFQRNIA 
nSH™GAME 


'CONSERVATION  OF  WILD  LIFE  THROUGH     EDUCATION 


f) 


BOARD  OF  FISH  AND  GAME  COMMISSIONERS. 

Commltsloner*  appointed  by  the  Governor,  by  and  with  the  consent  of  the  Senate. 
Term  at  pleasure  of  Governor.     No  compensation. 

F.  M.  NEWBERT,  President Sacramento 

M.  J.  CONNELL,  Commissioner Los  Angeles 

E.  L.  BOSQUI,  Commissioner San  Francisco 

CARL  WESTERFELD,  Executive  Officer San  Francisco 

J,  S.  HUNTER,  Assistant  Executive  Officer San  Francisco 

R.  D.  DUKE,  Attorney San  B'rancisco 

DEPARTMENT  OF   FISHCULTURE. 

W.  H.  SHEBLEY,  In  Charge  Fishcudture ^ Sacramento 

E.  W.  HUNT,  Field  Superintendent Sacramento 

J.    H.    HOEKL,    Chief    Clerk Sacramento 

A    E.  DONEY,  Fish  Ladder  Inspector Sacramento 

A,  E.  CULVER,  Screen  Inspector Sacramento 

M.  K.  SPALDING,  Assistant  in  Charge  of  Construction Sacramento 

G.  H.  LAMBSON,  Superintendent  Mount  Shasta  Hatchery Sisson 

W.  O.  FASSETT,  Superintendent  Fort  Seward  Hatchery,  Ukiah,  and   Snow 

Mountain   Station  Ukiah 

G.    McCLOUD,    Jk.,    Superintendent   Mount   Whitney    Hatchery    and    Cotton- 
wood   Lakes    Station   Independence 

G.  E.  WEST,  Foreman  in  Charge  Tahoe  and  Tallac  Hatcheries Tallac 

E.  V.  CASSELL,  Foreman  in  Charge  Fall  Creek  Hatchery Copco 

L.  J.   STINNETT,  Assistant  in  Charge  Bogus  Creek  Station Copco 

L.  PHILLIPS,   Foreman   in  Charge  Bear  Lake  and  North  Creek  Hatcheries 

San  Bernardino 

GUY  TABLER,  Assistant  in  Charge  Wawona  Hatchery Wawona 

C.  F.   PIEKSON,  Assistant  in  Charge  Brookdale   Hatchery Brookdale 

J.   W.    RICKER,    Foreman   in   Charge   Almanor,   Domingo    Springs  and   Clear 

Creek    Hatcheries    Greenville 

G.  McCLOUD,  Sr.,  Foreman  in  Charge  Cottonwood  Creek  Station Hornbrook 

DEPARTMENT  OF  COMMERCIAL  FISHERIES. 

N.  B.  SCOFIELD,  In  Charge San  Francisco 

H.  B.  NIDEVER,  Assistant San   Pedro 

W.   F.  TIIO.^^•SON,   Assistant Long  Beach 

ELMER  HIGGINS,  Assistant Long  Beach 

EARLE  DOWNING,  Assistant San  Francisco 

S.  H.  DADO,  Assistant San  Francisco 

C.  S.  BAUDER,  Assistant San  Pedro 

P.  H.  OYER,  Assistant Monterey 

L.  H.  HELWIG,  Assistant San  Diego 

BUREAU   OF   EDUCATION,  PUBLICITY  AND  RESEARCH. 
DR.  H.  C.  BRYANT,  In  Charge Berkeley 


PATROL  SERVICE, 


8AN   FRANCISCO  DIVISION. 

E.  L.  BoBQul,  Commissioner  In  Cliarge.    Carl  Westerfeld,  Executive  Officer. 

J.  S.  Hunter,  Assistant  Executive  Officer.    B.  C.  Boucher,  Special  A^ent. 

Head  Office,  Postal  Telegraph  Building,  San  Francisco. 

Phone  Sutter  6100. 


W.  H.  Armstrong Vallejo 

Earl  P.   Barnes Eureka 

Theo.   M.   Benson Fortuna 

O.  P.  Brownlow Porterville 

P.  A.  Bullard .'— Dunlap 

•J.  L.  Bundock Oakland 

J.  Burke Colma 

M.   S.  Clark San  Francisco 

S.  L.   N.   Ellis Fresno 

A.   M.   Fairfield San  Francisco 

J.  H.  Hellard Laytonvllle 

J.  H.  Hill Watsonville 

D.  H.  Hoen San  Rafael 


I.  L.  Koppel San  Jose 

Henry  Lenclonl Santa  Rosa 

Albert  Mack San  Francisco 

B.    H.   Miller Ukiah 

B.  v.  Moody Santa  Cruz 

W.  J.  Moore Napa 

J.  E.  Newsome Newman 

Chas.  R.  Perkins Fort  Bragg 

Frank   Shook Salinas   City 

E.  W.  Smalley Hanford 

H.  E.  Foster—Launch  "Quinnat,"  Vallejo 
Chas.  Bouton Launch  "Quinnat,"  Vallejo 


SACRAMENTO  DIVISION. 

F.  M.  Newbert,  Commissioner  In  Charge. 

Geo.  Neale,  Assistant. 

Forum  Building,   Sacramento. 

Phone  Main  4300. 


T.   W.    Birmingham Red  Bluff 

E.   W.    Bolt Gridley 

S.  J.  Carpenter Maxwell 

Geo.  W.  Courtrlght Canby 

Euell  Gray Placerviile 

W.  J.  Green ; Sacramento 

G.  O.  Laws Weaverville 

Roy  Ludlum Los  Mollnos 


R.  C.  O'Connor Grass  Valley 

E.  D.  RIcketts Live  Oak 

D.  E.  Roberts Murphys 

J.  Sanders Truckee 

R.  L.  Sinkey Woodltind 

L.  J.  Warren Taylorsvllle 

J.  S.  White Castella 


LOS  ANGELES  DIVISION. 

M.  J.  Connell,  Commissioner  In  Charge. 

Edwin  L.  Hedderly,  Assistant. 

Union  League  Building,  Los  Angeles. 

Phones:  Broadway  1155;  Home,  F  5705. 


H.  J.  Abels Santa  Maria 

J.  J.  Bamett Ventura 

H.  D.  Becker San  Luis  Obispo 

J.  H.  Gyger Elsinore 

W.  C.  Malone San  Bernardino 


E.  H.  Ober 

H.  L  Pritchard- 
A.  J.  Stout 


Webb  Toms — >. 


Big  Pln« 

Los  Angelea 

Los  Angelee 

San  Dlegc 


1919     ABSTRACT  CALIFORNIA  FISH  AND  GAME!  LAWS     1920 

WHITE  SQUARES  INDICATE  OPEN   SEASON 
NUMBERS   IN  SQUARES  ARE  OPEN   DATES 


DISTRICTS 

c-l 

a 

t- 

MAY 
APRIL 

a 

C 

c 

> 

p 

CO 

o 

5; 

0 

-1 

BAG  LIMITS.  ETC 

1-U-4J 
23-24-25-26 

B 

1 

-'       -4 

■■ 

LffiK  ir'.L 

I 

Wn  Do*"].   Tiiwnq  or   Rn 

DEGB 

2-3 

t-:.l 

u 

IM 

.:;:l 

J 

u 

■1  Bucks.    No  sale  of  venls 

4 

;  .1- 

-H    :. 

in 

n-^IJ 

See  Notca  1-2-8-9-10-1 

RABBITS,  CottontaU  and  Bnisb 

ALL 

likl 

jjim 

1.-: 

•; 

m'i 

15  per  day.    30   per  we 
No  limit  In  District  4 

TREE  SQUIRRELS 

ALL 

m 

^WEL. 

u 

r  • 

1 

12  per  season 

.K,  ANTELOPE,  MOUNTAIN  SHEEP 

ALL 

\  r 

mu^AT^ 

;.:•• 

'■~~i 

n^M  Killing  of  Elk  or   pos! 
^■^■Rlon  of  KUc  meat  a  fel 

SEA  OTTER,  BEAVER 

ALL 

-i  M  " " 

[  :;:r[-  _ 

I.. 

HBS    $1,000  Cne  for  Sea  OtU 

BKAR.  FUR  ANIMALS 

ALL 

, ,,_. .  .^ 

r:  • 

i« 

See  Notts  11-12 

KS,  GEESE,  JACK  SNIPE,  MUD  HENS 

ALL 

■ 

i-1 

^^:'P 

\ 
t  ■  1 

f-l^'y 

i,.i 

See  Notes  4-14-13-17 

\.XL.   WOOD  DUCK.   WILD  PIGEON. 
SHORE  BIRDS  (Except  Jack  Snipe) 

ALL 

'^^n 

F^ 

"! • 

[7 

r-TT 

QUAIL,  VaUey  and  Desert 

1 -U 
2-3 

■;j 

;.-l::.lf  -1 

—e''-^-     ' 

-■' 

|. 

15  per  day.    80  per  we 

4  4i 

(■ 

■"  i 

^1 

:;;. 

i.-- 

--.; ; 

i'< 

1-li 

-^ 

■ 

F] 

r-».  n 

\-m 

u 

MomrrAiN  quail 

2-3 

•  1  ■    -1     : 

r-1 

'.-. 

[^:-.!i 

— 1 

fT 

10  per  day.    20  per  ne 

4-4J 

m 

i:--: 

r. -.-.■p' 

n 

-: 1 

^GfCBB 

SAGE  HKN 

ALL 
Except  4 

I-  -. 

'^•'^.■: 

!m 

.; 

■u 

V^^: 

.-.  ';■'■"' 

4 

Si 

U'l 

!;vJi.>G 

•   ■■■:-.:^ 

f  *         1 

DOVE 

ALL 

S 

r ! 

'^J  ~ 

p — I 

■  :.  i 

t-       '           - 

■*'"— i 

15  per  day.     30  per  we 

GBODSE 

ALL 

i-^t 

!•  i 

,T" 

;:"l 

■M 

■  \< 

Wi 

,n 

lis 

1 

^1 

4  per  day.     8  per  wed 

l-12a-12b   m 

,t 

11 

I  U-:i 

■HBI  See  Nat«  44      50  flsh  or 
^^^9^—               pounds  and 
■^H  See  Note  43  fish  or  one  i 

2 

'm 

lOUT  (Except  Golden),  WHITE  FISH 

3 

i>  i!  ■ . 

m;":"\ 

See  Note  45  pounds  or  o\ 

^'^^  E 

F 

mS- 

M 

— '                See  Notes  i 
37-39 

Alma  nor     mtm 

« 

wri 

.  i 

See  Note  28 

23-24-25 

HflHIHl^B^ 

m 

GOLDEN  TROUT 

ALL 

tjGGE:_i3S 

1 

1 
1 

20  per  day.     Nona  ud 
5  Inches. 

AI.L 

"" 

-■i 

nn 

P 

25  per  day.     None  un 

BLACK  BASS 

Clear  Lahe 
In  Lake  Co. 

L 

No  sale.     Hook  and  11 
only. 

3ACBAMENT0  PERCH,    SUNFISH 
and  CRAPPIE 

ALL 

m 

a 

m 

25  per  day.     Uook  ai 
lino  only. 

STRIPED  BASS,  SHAD 

ALL 

See  Note  23 

SALMON 

AIT, 
Except  15 

Bee  Notes  27-48 

15 

r* 

99" 

1    ■•I   ■;•■■■:.■■ 

CATFISH 

ALL 

>^fe 

Hll>« 

Closed  season  only  foi 
rommerclal  flshlnR 

CB.VBS 

ALL 

S 

:•   •.   :•  :" 

,-i!E 

See  Note  28 

ABALONES,   Red 

ALL 

■ 

See  Note  33 

&een.  Plr*.  Black 

ALL 

.:_    ." 

|- 

. 

PISMO  CLAMS 

17 

1 1  m 

tf 

an 

See  Note  32 

HUNTING  LICENSES 
License  Year  from  July  I  to  June  30 

Residents,  $1.00.      Non-residents,  $10.00.     Certain 
Aliens,  $10.00.    Other  Aliens,  $25.00. 

ANGLING  LICENSES 
License  Year  from  January  I  to  December  31 

Residents,  $1.00.    Non- Residents,  $3.00.    Aliens, 
$3.00. 

TRAPPING   LICENSES 
LicenM  Year  from  July  I  to  June  30 

Citizens, '$1.00.     Aliens.  $2.00. 


CALIFORNIA 
nSH-GAME 


t 


'conservation  of  wild  life  through   education 


BOARD  OF  FISH  AND  GAME  COMMISSIONERS. 

Commlsalonera  appointed   by  tho  Qovernor,  by  and  with  tho  conaent  of  the  Sonat*. 
Term  at  pleaaure  of  Governor.     No  compenaatlon. 

F.  M.  NEWBKRT.  President Sacramento 

M.  J.  CONNELL,  Commissioner I^s  Angeles 

E.  L.  BOSQUI,  Commissioner San   Francisco 

CIIAS.  A.  VOGELSANG,  Executive  Officer Sau   Frauciso> 

J.  S.  IIUXTER,  Assistant  Executive  Officer San  Francisco 

R.  D.  DUKE,  Attorney San   Francisco 

DEPARTMENT  OF  FISHCULTURE. 

W.  H.  SHEBLEY,  In  Charge  Fishcuatnre ^ Sacramento 

E.  W.  HUNT,  Field  Superintendent Sacramento 

J.    H.    HOERL,    Chief    Clerk Sacramento 

A    E.  DONEY,  Fish  Ladder  Inspector Sacramento 

A.  E.  CULVER,  Screen  Inspector Sacramento 

M.  K.  SPALDING,  Assistant  in  Charge  of  Construction Sacramento 

G.  H.  LAMRSON,  Superintendent  Mount  Shasta  Hatchery Sisson 

W.  0.  FASSETT,  Superintendent  Fort  Seward   Hatchery,   Ukiah,  ar-d   Snow 

Mountain  Station  Ukiah 

G.    McCLOUD,    Je.,    Superintendent   Mount   Whitney    Hatchery    and    Cotton- 
wood  Lakes   Station   Independence 

G.  E.  WEST,  Foreman  in  Charge  Tahoe  and  Tallac  Hatcheries Tallac 

B.  V.  CASSELL,  Foreman  in  Charge  Fall  Creek  Hatchery Copco 

L.  J.   STINNETT,  Assistant  in  Charge  Bogus  Creek   Station Copco 

L.  PHILLIPS,  Foreman   in  Charge  Bear  Lake  and  North  Creek  Hatcheries 

San   Bernardino 

GUY  TABLER,  Assistant  in  Charge  Wawona  Hatchery Wawona 

C.  F.  PIERSON,  Assistant  in  Charge  Brookdale  Hatchery Brookdale 

J.   W.   RICKER,   Foreman   in   Charge  Almanor,  Domingo   Springs  and  Clear 

Creek    Hatcheries    Greenville 

G.  McCLOUD,  Sr.,  Foreman  in  Charge  Cottonwood  Creek  Station Hornbrook 

DEPARTMENT  OF  COMMERCIAL  FISHERIES. 

N.  B.  SCOFIELD,  In  Charge San  Francisco 

H.  B.  NIDEVER,  Assistant San  Pedro 

W.  F.  THOMPSON,  Assistant Long  Beach 

ELMER  IIIGGINS,  Assistant Long  Beach 

EARLE  DOWNING,  Assistant San  Francisco 

S.  H.  DADO,  Assistant San  Francisco 

C.  S.  BAUDER,  Assistant San  Pedro 

P.  H.  OYER,  Assistant Monterey 

L.  H.  HELWIG,  Assistant San  Diego 

DEPARTMENT    OF    WATER    POLLUTION. 
A.   M.   FAIRFIELD,   In   Charge San    Francisco 

BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION,  PUBLICITY  AND  RESEARCH. 
I'R.  H.  C.  BRYANT.  In  Charge Berkeley 


PATROL   SERVICE. 


8AN   FRANCISCO  DIVISION. 

B.  L.  Bosqui,  Commissioner  in  Charge.    Carl  Westerfeld,  Executive  OflScer. 

J.  S.  Hunter.  Assistant  Executive  Officer.    E.  C.  Boucher,  Special  Agent. 

Head  Office,  Postal  Telegraph  Building,  San  Francisco. 

Phone  Sutter  6100. 


W.  H.  Armstrong Vallejo 

Earl  P.   Barnes Eureka 

Theo.   M.   Benson Fortuna 

O.   P.  Brownlow Porterville 

F.  A.   Bullard Dunlap 

J.  L.  Bundock Oakland 

J.  Burke Colma 

M.   S.  Clark San  Francisco 

S.  L.  N.  Ellis Fresno 

J.  H.  Hellard Laytonvlile 

J.  H.  Hill WatsonvlUe 

D.  H.  Hoen San  Rafael 


L  L.  Koppel San  Jose 

Henry  Lenclonl Santa  Rosa 

Albert  Mack San  Francisco 

B.    H.    Miller Uklah 

B.  v.  Moody Santa  Cruz 

W.  J.  Moore Napa 

J.  B.  Newsome Newman 

Chas.  R.  Perkins Fort  Bragg 

Frank   Shook Salinas  City 

E.  W.  Smalley Hanford 

H.  E.  Foster_Launch  "Quinnat,"  Vallejo 
Chas.  Bouton L>aunch  "Quinnat,"  Vallejo 


SACRAMENTO  DIVISION. 

F.  M.  Newbert,  Comialssloner  in  Charge. 

Geo.  Neale,  Assistant. 

Forum  Building,  Sacramento. 

Phone  Main  4300. 


T.    W.    Birmlnghara Red  Bluff 

E.   W.    Bolt - Grldley 

S.  J.  Carpenter Maxwell 

Geo.  W.  Courtright Canby 

Euell  Gray Placerville 

W.  J.  Green Sacramento 

Q.  O.  Laws Weavervllle 

Roy  Ludlum Los  Molinos 


R.  C.  O'Connor Grass  Valley 

E.  D.  Ricketts Live  Oak 

D.  E.  Roberts Murphys 

J.  Sanders Truckee 

R.  L.  Sinkey Woodland 

L.  J.  Warren Taylorsvllle 

J.  S.  White Castella 


LOS  ANGELES  DIVISION. 

M.  J.  Connell,  Commissioner  in  Charge. 

Edwin  L.  Hedderly,  Assistant 

Union  Leagiie  Building,  Los  Angeles. 

Phones:  Broadway  1155;  Home,  F5705. 


H.  J.  Abels Santa  Maria 

J.  J.  Bamett Ventura 

H.  D.  Becker San  Luis  Obispo 

J.  H.  Gyger Elslnore 

W.  C.  Malone San  Bernardino 


B.   H.   Ober Big  Pine 

H.  L  Pritchard Loa  Angeles 

A.  J.  Stout Los  Angelec 

Webb  Toms San  Diego 


1919     ABSTRACT  CAllfORNIA  fISH  AND  GAME  LAWS     1920 

WHITE  SQUARES  INDICATE  OPEN  SEASON 
NUMBERS   IN  SQUARES  ARE  OPEN   DATES 


DISTRICTS 

M 

tj 

IS 

w 

>< 

c 
C 
C 
k4 

Cl 

Q 

00 

O 

3 

o 
< 

g 
P 

BAG  LIMITS.   ETC. 

1-U-«I 

23-24-25-26 

1 

r 

U 

'[:ll^nrTI5Haji." 

i 

DEEB 

2-3 

■1 

:ir^r=_uBffl:uC' 

Bucks.    No  sale  of  vents 

4 

■vl: 

13  .  ■',      u 

[i&IU 

'    !' 

See  Notes  1-2-8-9-10-1 

RABBITS,  Cottontail  and  Brush 

ALL 

iu 

1  11  • 

%A 

15  per  day.     ."O   per  wc 
No  limit  in  District  4 

TREE  SQUIRRELS 

ALL 

,  rii.^rii  If  If-  ip: 

1 

12  per  season 

.K,  ANTELOPE,  MOUNTAIN  SHEEP 

ALL 

i"i 

1^-'' 

J 

« 

■il  '    ■ 

(:-!f-- If-'        ■ 

Klll.nK  of   Elk  or   poss 
alon  of  Elk  meat  a  felr 

SEA  OTTER,  BEAVER 

ALL 

L., 

_:J1-J 

:.. 

Jv  ^ 

r_L  . 

;" 

$1,000  flno  for  Sea  OtU 

BEAR,  FUR  ANIILVLS 

ALL 

wni 

r" 

!'■■ 

N 

See  Notes  11-12 

<S,  GEESE,  JACK  SNIPE,  ftnJD  HENS 

ALL 

r:: 

^I'n 

"1 

• 

r 

1.      [^  - 

i>^ 

See  Notes  4-14-15-17 

lIl.  wood  duck,  \vn.D  pigeon. 

^UOKE  BIRDS  (Except  Jack  Snipe) 

ALL 

^T- 

\-:\ 

•'in 

■•=1- 

If.  .jt  ■ 

.■  ■  1 

QUAIL,  Valley  and  Desert 

1-lJ 
2-3 

m<:\ 

(■■  ■ 

r 

1 

M 

iiiii' 

4-4i 

'.d^r^i 

^^1 

f-l;:-:: 

HHHI^' 

15  per  day.    30  per  wei 

1-lJ 

~i 

rMfvJ 

L 

1 

MOUNTAIN  QUAIL 

2-3 

tm^ 

irrTj'^ 

[:.■>!■:    "  1 

■P 

10  per  day.    80  per  wc 

4-4i 

-jm' 

:  &1Ij 

gMi>4 

1 

SAGE  HEN 

ALL 
Except  4 

-Uh 

mup 

P 

: 

.  1 

4 

an 

□ann 

il 

II 

1     *'• 

|B|    «  pec  aay.      a  iwr  wow 

DOVE 

ALL 

^•^^v„L-!r-,|.,.iMKj^;-| 

mollis  per  day.     30  per  we< 

GRODSE 

ALL 

■^m 

eeljlj:] 

i-a 

f-! 

1^ 

mHV 

|M    4  per  day.     8  per  wcei 

■- 

l-12a-12b 

r-..-' 

1.— J 

:^i 

''^■B 

1 

n      Ih 

■.;!:'^i 

•>  j 

See  Note  44      50  flsb  or  1 

■                pounds and ( 

See  Note  43  flsh  or  one  f 

2            ^{^ 

•'■ '    1 

m 

OUT  (Except  Golden).  WHITE  FISH 

3        H 

MM.  J 

-■■I-  i 

See  Note  45  pounds  or  ot 

i-ih     MJMHMWi 

Tl 

•                See  Notes  S 

37-33 

Lake 
Almanor 

■  [■  ! 

^^iri 

See  Note  26 

23-24-25 

i^L.J 

|80 

•  1- 

GOLDEN  TROUT 

ALL 

jjUrM-j   '3 

;J 

■■|i^H20  par  dmy.     Nooe  uix 
PH^H                 5  Inches. 

BLACK  BASS 

ALL     lyi 

i-  ■ 

1  i 

25  per  day.     None  un< 

7  Inches. 
No  sale.    Hook  and  Ui 

nnlv. 

Clear  Lake 
In  Lake  Co. 

SACRAMENTO  PERCH.    SUNFISH 
aiKl  ORAPPIE 

ALL 

.'\^^ 

1 — \--i 

^H     25  per  day.      Honk  ac 

^BH                           linn  nnTv 

STRIPED  BASS,  SHAD 

ALL 

See  Note  23 

SALMON 

ALL 
Except  1 5 

HHI 

■  I-' 

i      1 

Bee  Notes  27-48 

CATFISH 

ALL 

BBB 

F 

Closed  season  only  for 
oommerclal  fishing 

CRABS 

ALL 

*  1 

•      1 

|l5 

Seo  Note  28 

ABALONES.  Red 

ALL 

1 

Sm  Note  33 

Oecn,  Pinh,  Black 

ALL 

■n* 

PISMO  CLAMS 

17 

TT 

H 

« 

m 

See  Note  32 

HUNTING  LlCENSn:S 
Licente  Year  from  July  I  to  iune  30 

Residents,   $1.00.      Non-residents,  $10.00.      Certain 
Aliens,  $10.00.    Other  Aliens,  $25.00. 

ANGLING  LICENSES 
License  Year  from  Janua.'^  I  to  December  31 

Residents,  $1.00.    Non- Residents,  $3.00.    Aliens, 
$3.00. 

TRAPPING   LICENSES 
License  Year  from  July  I  to  June  30 

Citizens,  $1.00.     Aliens,  $2.00. 


CALIFORNIA 
FISH""  GAME 


Volnme  6 

Sacramento,  October,  1920 

Number  4 

/ 

( 

1  ^'^ 

1/             %J 

Vasf^  ~iB'  .it 

uHHf     ^ 

i-9^*=*^^^l 

f^k^ 

■F^lffl 

^tJ 

^^^j 

1                "^JBytMl 

^m^'^ 

*J^J 


nlt^'l 


BOARD  OF  FISH  AND  GAME  COMMISSIONERS. 

Cammlssioncra  appointed  by  th«  Governor,  by  and  with  the  concent  of  the  Senate. 
Term  at  pleaaure  of  Governor.     No  compensation. 

F.  M.  NEWBERT,  President Sacramento 

M.  J.  CONNELL,  Commissioner — -; Jjom  Antelea 

B.  L.  BOSQUI,  Commissioner Saa  FranciBCo 


CHAS.  A.  VOGELSANG,  Executive  Officer San  Francisco 

J.  S.  HUNTER,  Assistant  Executive  Officer San  Francisco 

R.  D.  DUKE,  Attorney :- „ San  Franciaco 

DEPARTMENT  OF  FI8HCULTURE. 

W.  H.  SOEBLEY,  In  Charge  Fishcolture Sacramento 

E.  W.  HUNT,  Field  Superintendent Sacramento 

J.    H.    HOERL,    Chief   Clerk ;_ ^^==_.=i Sacramento 

A    E.  DONEY,  Fish  Ladder  Inspector Sacramento 

A.  E.  CULVER,  Screen  Inspector Sacramento 

M.  K.  SPALDING,  Assistant  in  Charge  of  Construction Sacramento 

G.  H.  LAMBSON,  Superintendent  Mount  Shasta  Hatchery Sisson 

W.  O.  FASSETT,  Superintendent  Fort  Seward  Hatchery,  Ukiah*  and  Snow 

Mountain  Station Ukiah 

G.    McCLOUD,    Jr.,    Superintendent   Mount   Whitney    Hatchery   and   Cotton- 
wood  Lakes   Station   Independence 

O.  E.  WEST,  Foreman  in  Charge  Tahoe  and  Tallac  Hatcheries Tallac 

B.  V.  CASSELL,  Foreman  in  Charge  Fall  Creek  Hatchery Copco 

L.  J.  STINNETT,  Assistant  in  Charge  Bogus  Creek  Station Copco 

L.  PHILLIPS,   Foreman   in  Charge  Bear  Lake  and  North  Creek  Hatcheries 

San  Bernardino 

GUY  TABLER,  Assistant  in  Charge  Wawona  Hatchery .-_ Wawona 

0.  F.  PIERSON,  Assistant  in  Charge  Brookdale  Hatchery____) Brookdale 

J.   W.   RICKER,   Foreman   in  Charge  Almanor,  Domingo   Springs  and  Clear 

Creek    Hatcheries    GreenvUle 

G.  McCLOUD,  Sb.,  Foreman  in  Charge  Cottonwood  Creek  Station Hombrook 

DEPARTMENT  OF  COMMERCIAL  FISHERIES. 

N.  B.  SCOFIELD,  In  Charge. — .llt^-^^-^ifl— 1— San  Francisco 

H.  B.  NIDEVER,  Assistant ,.ii-i^jt iAi.si..^iu-^^-u — * San  Pedro 

W.  F.  THOMPSON,  Assistant i— ^ ._.w»-_;._— .i.^~----.i^ Long  Beadi 

ELMER  HIGGINS,  Assistant Long  Beach 

EARLE  DOWNING,  Assistant San  Francisco 

S.  H.  DADO,  Assistant San  Francisco 

0.  S.  BAUDER,  Assistant ^-San  Pedro 

P.  H.  OYER,  Assistant Monterey 

L.  H.  HELWIG,  Assistant San  Diegt 

DEPARTMENT    OF    WATER    POLLUTIOKl. 
A.  M,  FAIRFIELD,  In  Charge San  Francisco 

BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION,  PUBLICITY  AND  RESEARCH. 
DR.  H.  C.  BRYANT,  In  Charge Berkeley 


(i 


PATROL  SERVICK 


SAN  FRANCISCO  DIVISION. 

B.  Ii.  BosquI,  Commissioner  In  Charge.     Chas,  A.  Vogelsang,  Executive  Officer. 
^     J.  B.  Hunter,  ABSiBtant  EbcecutlYe  Officer.    EI.  C.  Boucher,  Special  Agetot. 
Head  Office*  Postal  Telegraph  Building,  San  f -ranclsco. 

fe^vi/    tv^vc     ;;        Phone  Sutter  6100.      ^-     .     - 


W.  H.  Armstrong 

Earl  P.  Barnes.. 

Theo.  M.  Benson 

O.  P.  Brownlow 

J*.  A.  Bullard 

J.  Lb  Bundock 

J.  Burke  _ 
M.  S.  Clark. 
B.  Lb  N.  laUs. 
X.  H.  Hellard. 
J.  H.  Hill 


Vallejo 

Bureka 

Fortuna 

Portervllla 

Dunlap 


D.  H.  Hoen. 


Oakland 

Colma 

.San  Francisco 

Fresno 

Laytonvllle 

Watsonvllle 

San  Rafael 


L  lu  KoppeL 


.San  Jose 


Henry  Liencionl. 

Albert  Mack 

B.    H.    Miller 


Santa  Rosa 
.San  Francisco 
Uklah 


B.  V.  Moody 

W.  J,  Moore 


.-Santa  Cms 

XaiMt 


J.  E.  Newsome- 

Chas.  R.  Perkins 

Frank  Shook 

B.  W.  Smalley— 


JN'ewman 


.Fort  Bragg 
.Salinas  City 
Hanford 


H.  E.  Foster_Launch  "Qulnnat,"  Vallejo 
Chas.  Bouton— Launch  "Qulnnat,"  Vallejo 


SACRAMENTO  DIVISION. 

F.  M.  Newbert,  Commissioner  in  Charge. 

Geo.  Neale,  Assistant. 

Forum  Building,  Sacramento. 

Phone  Main  4800. 


T.  W.   Birmingham Red  Bluff 

B.  W.  Bolt ^^-,^_._^^, -^ Gridley 

8.  J.  Carpenter Maxwell 

Gee.  W.  Courtright 

Buell  Gray  —,,.., , 

W.  J.  Green,...-— 

O.  O.  Laws -.-.. 


Canby 

-Placeryllle 


.^—Sacramento 
_-.Weayervllle 


Roy '  Tiudlwm.., — *-.^-....e— i.Loa  Molinos 


R.  C.  O'Coxmor- 
B.  D.  Rlcketta- 
D.  B.  Robots— 
J.  Sanders  — ..» 

R.  L.  Sinkey 

L.  J.  Warren 

J.  S.  White 


-GnuM  Valley 

Live  Oak 

Murphys 

Truckee 


. — ^Weodland 
,Ta9lorsTille 
CasteUa 


LOS  ANQELES  DIVISION. 

M.  J.  Connell.  Cotamissioner  in  Charge. 

E^dwln  L.  Hedderly,  Assistant 

Union  League  Building,  Los  Angeles. 

Phones:  Broadway  1156;  Home,  F6706. 


H.  J.  Abels Santa  Maria 

J.  J.  Bamett Ventura 

H.  D.  Becker San  Luis  Obispo 

J.  H.  Gyger Blsinore 

W.  C.  Malone San  Bernardino 


E.   H.    Ober 

H.  L  Pritchard 

A.  J.  Stout 

Webb  Toms 


.Big  Pine 
Angeles 
Angeles 
-San  Diego 


1919     ABSTRAQ  CALIFORNIA  FISH  AND  GAME;  LAWS     1920 

WHITE  8QUARE8  INDICATE  OPEN  8EA80N 
NUMBER8  IN  8QUARE8  ARE  OPEN  DATE8 


DISTRICTS 

1 

M 

S 
^ 

1 

► 
a 
o 

o 

3 

o 

-1 

a 

M 

P 

BAS  LIMITS.  BTt 

J3-24-J5-M 

l:;  ■■   '■'  ;■""!  J-M2"' 

No  Does.  Fawni  or  81 

MB 

S-3 

■:  mi'}^  . 

Bucks.    No  aale  of  Tenl. 
Two  Bncka  per  seas* 
See  Notes  1-2-8-9-19- 

4 

I-.: 

LES'.; 

tABBIT8,  CottoitaO  and  Braiti 

ALL 

:_:::  El 

15  per  day.     30  per  w 
No  limit  in  Dlstrlot 

nWS  SqVIRRELS 

ALL 

■■■ 

r 

12  per  stason 

LK,  ANTILOre,  MOUNTAIN  SHEEP 

ALL 

r— ' 

KlUing  of   Flit  ar  pos 
»lon  or  Elk  rae«t  a  fe 

SEA  0T1XB,  BBAVBB 

ALL 

Qfet.    ^ 

$1,000  fine  for  Bea  OtI 

BEAR,  FUB  ANIMALS 

ALL 

L 

■■ 

l»^ 

See  Notes  11-12 

KB,  flIESa,  JACK  nOPlI,  BBS  BENS 

ALL 

m 

Ml 

Bee  Netes  4-14-15-11 

jJl.  Wood  bv^.  WTt*  KAioM. 

8HOBB  BIRDS  (Bscent  Jack  8mlp«) 

ALL 

r          ■          ■                                                                          -               , 

,-- 

4CAIL,  Vaney  and  Deiert 

1-3 

l^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ff' 

4-41 

r;i 

1 

..._,LCB 

16  per  day.    80  per  w 

1-lJ 

"" .  -         1 

» 

■ 

U9FRTAIN  QVAIL 

9-3 

10  per  day.    JO  pec  wi 

4-4J 

8ACSUEM 

ALL 
ISxcept* 

^^^^^H^^^^^^hI  I  s 

4  pec  day.     8  per  wee 

4 

:        .'■~„'r^I                 '              '^^''^ 

D9VH 

ALL 

)■•'. ' ' 

Wc 

15  per  day.     30  per  w< 

GBfinSB 

ATJ. 

i 

"  v 

E 

3 

4  per  day.     8  per  wee 

l-12a-12* 

-■:     ■■              .■^^' 

11 

^^H  S«a  Note  44      RO  flab  or 

^^^H i               pound*  and 

^^Hj  Sm  Note  43  flah  or  en* 

^ weighing 

H^H  See  Note  45  pounds  or  a 

^H '                See  Notes 

BH                           8r-3» 

■IH  8e«  Not*  24 

3 

MUX  (Riwpt  Golden),  WHITS  FISH 

3 

4-4i 

Laha 

AIntanor 

■■■■ 

23-24-28 

8^ 

06LDEN  TB«DT 

ALL 

ii" 

1 

20  per  day.     None  oi 
5  Inches. 

BLACK  BASS 

ALL 

■1 

26  per  day.      Nene  ur 

Clear  Lain 
In  I^ka  C*. 

li 

1            ! 

No  sal*.     Hook  aad  I 

SACRAMIU^TO  PEfiCH.  8UNJ18B 
and  CRAPPIB 

ALL 

26  per  day.     Hook  a 

lino  only. 

STUPED  BASS.  8KAD 

ALL 

See  Note  23 

RAI.MON 

ALL 

■xcept  IS 

„J. 

«    m 

MH>' 

iiEBB 

^a           Hce  xMones  37-10 

CATFISH 

ALL 

'4 

-,; 

;  ■'.■' 

Cloaed  season  only  to 
rommcrrial  flahina 

CBABS 

ALL 

J 

>  -::',".^.. 

lu 

See  Note  U 

ABALONES,  Red 

ALL 

See  Not*  SS 

Orecn,  Pii*,  Black 

ALL 

I..'.'-  ■ 

■ 

PISSIO  CLAM3 

IT 

!■/ 

r1 

[;:-■■ 

See  N*t*  8S 

HUNTING  LICENSES 
UceiM  Year  froM  July  I  t*  J  one  39 

Residents,  $1.00.      Non-residents,  $10.00.     Certain 
Aliens,  $10.00.    Other  Aliens,  $25.00. 

ANGLiNQ  LICENSES 
Lleeise  Year  (rem  January  I  to  De**mk*r  31 

,     Residents,  $1.00.    Non- Residents,  $3.00.    Aliens^ 

TRAPPING  LICENSES 
Lieente  Year  from  July  I  to  June  38 

Citizens,  $1.00.    Aliens,  $2.0a 


H 


U   0  •■' 


)  O  '■■  ^')  r